Chapter 4 of Gone to Earth is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Gone to Earth is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door. 'Why did you want to go?' 'I'm alost in this grand place.' 'Your hair's grander than anything in the place. And your eyes are like sherry.'
Chapter 4 of Gone to Earth is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
any thing at all
From this reading “'Your hair's grander than anything in the place.”
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading “'I'm alost in this grand place.'”
comparative of “grand” — of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading “'Your hair's grander than anything in the place.”
possessive form of “hair” — a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading “'Your hair's grander than anything in the place.”
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading “'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.”
dry to sweet amber wine from the Jerez region of southern Spain or similar wines produced elsewhere; usually drunk as an aperitif
From this reading “And your eyes are like sherry.'”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “'Why did you want to go?'”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I'm alost in this grand place.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
any thing at all
From this reading 'Your hair's grander than anything in the place.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And your eyes are like sherry.'
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading 'Why did you want to go?'
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
opinion or judgment
From this reading And your eyes are like sherry.'
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'Why did you want to go?'
the act of departing
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading 'I'm alost in this grand place.'
comparative of “grand” — of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading 'Your hair's grander than anything in the place.
possessive form of “hair” — a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading 'Your hair's grander than anything in the place.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I'm alost in this grand place.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading And your eyes are like sherry.'
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading 'I'm alost in this grand place.'
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
dry to sweet amber wine from the Jerez region of southern Spain or similar wines produced elsewhere; usually drunk as an aperitif
From this reading And your eyes are like sherry.'
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading 'Your hair's grander than anything in the place.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'I be going home-along,' she said, but he pulled her in and shut the door.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading 'I'm alost in this grand place.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'Why did you want to go?'
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading 'Why did you want to go?'
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading 'Why did you want to go?'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Why did you want to go?'
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Your hair's grander than anything in the place.
Chapter 4 of Gone to Earth by Mary Webb holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 115 sentences of Gone to Earth, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Gone to Earth by Mary Webb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 Gone to Earth by Mary Webb on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6375 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7055 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7055, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 531 minutes of reading across 1275 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Gone to Earth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Gone to Earth 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 Gone to Earth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
