Chapter 4 of Dr. Adriaan is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Dr. Adriaan is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Addie came downstairs he met Constance. A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting. She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said. "I was looking for you, Mummy." "Come along with me then."
Chapter 4 of Dr. Adriaan is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
the act of burning something
From this reading “A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.”
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading “When Addie came downstairs he met Constance.”
on a floor below
From this reading “When Addie came downstairs he met Constance.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.”
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading “A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"I was looking for you, Mummy."”
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading “A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “When Addie came downstairs he met Constance.”
come into being or existence, or appear on the scene
In this reading “"Come along with me then."”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Addie came downstairs he met Constance.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "Come along with me then."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
the act of burning something
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When Addie came downstairs he met Constance.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come along with me then."
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading When Addie came downstairs he met Constance.
on a floor below
From this reading When Addie came downstairs he met Constance.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I was looking for you, Mummy."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
the act of departing
From this reading She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Addie came downstairs he met Constance.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "I was looking for you, Mummy."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Come along with me then."
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading When Addie came downstairs he met Constance.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "I was looking for you, Mummy."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Come along with me then."
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was obviously tired: "I am going to my room," she said.
a wainscoted wall (or wainscoted walls collectively)
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
at the time that
From this reading When Addie came downstairs he met Constance.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A gas-jet was burning with a small flame in the brown dusk of the oak wainscoting.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I was looking for you, Mummy."
Chapter 4 of Dr. Adriaan by Louis Couperus holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 4 holds 147 sentences of Dr. Adriaan, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Dr. Adriaan by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Dr. Adriaan by Louis Couperus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5192 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34761 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34761, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 432 minutes of reading across 1039 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dr. Adriaan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Dr. Adriaan to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Dr. Adriaan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
