Chapter 4 of Drowsy is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Drowsy is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy. If you want to be married, we just will." The maiden shook her head. "He said not." "No, he didn't.
Chapter 4 of Drowsy is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “"Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy.”
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading “"Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy.”
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “The maiden shook her head.”
an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading “The maiden shook her head.”
joined in matrimony
From this reading “If you want to be married, we just will."”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “"He said not."”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “The maiden shook her head.”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “If you want to be married, we just will."”
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 “"Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy.”
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.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If you want to be married, we just will."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, he didn't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He said not."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The maiden shook her head.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The maiden shook her head.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you want to be married, we just will."
and nothing more
From this reading If you want to be married, we just will."
an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading The maiden shook her head.
joined in matrimony
From this reading If you want to be married, we just will."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, he didn't.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "He said not."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "He said not."
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading The maiden shook her head.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The maiden shook her head.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If you want to be married, we just will."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading If you want to be married, we just will."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading If you want to be married, we just will."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading If you want to be married, we just will."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now don't you feel bad, Ruthy.
Chapter 4 of Drowsy by John Ames Mitchell holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of Drowsy, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Drowsy by John Ames Mitchell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Drowsy by John Ames Mitchell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6053 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53802 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53802, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 504 minutes of reading across 1211 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Drowsy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Drowsy 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 Drowsy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
