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Hetty's Strange History
Hetty's Strange History

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Hetty's Strange History is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Hetty's Strange History
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, why should Raby die?
God never means that any children should die.
It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.
I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”
That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Hetty's Strange History

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Hetty's Strange History is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?
Line 2
God never means that any children should die.
/ɡɑːd ˈnevər miːnz ðæt ˈeni ˈtʃɪldrən ʃʊd daɪ/
Line 3
It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.
/ɪt ɪz ɔːl ˈaʊər ˈɪɡnərəns ənd ˈkerləsnəs ɔːl ðə rɪˈzʌlt ʌv ˈbroʊkən lɔː/
Line 4
I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”
Line 5
That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

Learner Dictionary

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.

carelessness noun US /ˈkerləsnəs/

the quality of not being careful or taking pains

From this reading “It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.”

cure verb US /kjʊr/

provide a cure for, make healthy again

From this reading “I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?””

dies noun US /daɪz/

plural of “die” — a small cube with 1 to 6 spots on the six faces; used in gambling to generate random numbers

From this reading “I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?””

God's noun US /ɡɑːdz/

possessive form of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading “I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?””

ignorance noun US /ˈɪɡnərəns/

the lack of knowledge or education

From this reading “It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.”

ripe adjective US /raɪp/

fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used

From this reading ““That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.”

thwarting noun US /ˈθwɔːrtɪŋ/

an act of hindering someone's plans or efforts

From this reading “I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?””

vehemently adverb US /ˈviːəməntli/

in a vehement manner

From this reading ““Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?”

All words in this reading · 56

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

agenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading God never means that any children should die.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

carelessnessnounUS /ˈkerləsnəs/

the quality of not being careful or taking pains

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading God never means that any children should die.

cryverbUS /kraɪ/

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading “Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?

cureverbUS /kjʊr/

provide a cure for, make healthy again

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

dieverbUS /daɪ/

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading “Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?

diesnounUS /daɪz/

plural of “die” — a small cube with 1 to 6 spots on the six faces; used in gambling to generate random numbers

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

DoctornounUS /ˈdɑːktər/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading “Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

Dr

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

Eben

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

fullyadverbUS /ˈfʊli/

to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading God never means that any children should die.

God'snounUS /ɡɑːdz/

possessive form of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

Hetty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/

characteristic of humanity

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/

ten 10s

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

I've

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

ignorancenounUS /ˈɪɡnərəns/

the lack of knowledge or education

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

lawnounUS /lɔː/

the collection of rules imposed by authority

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

meansnounUS /miːnz/

thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end

From this reading God never means that any children should die.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading God never means that any children should die.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

planverbUS /plæn/

have the will and intention to carry out some action

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

Raby

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?

replynounUS /rɪˈplaɪ/

a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

resultnounUS /rɪˈzʌlt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

ripeadjectiveUS /raɪp/

fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading “Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading God never means that any children should die.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading It is all our ignorance and carelessness; all the result of broken law.

thwartingnounUS /ˈθwɔːrtɪŋ/

an act of hindering someone's plans or efforts

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

vehementlyadverbUS /ˈviːəməntli/

in a vehement manner

From this reading “Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading “That is all true, Hetty,” Dr. Eben would reply; “all very true: it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever any human being dies before he is fully ripe of old age.

wheneverconjunctionUS /weˈnevər/

at any time that; every time that

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading “Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “Doctor,” she would cry vehemently, “why should Raby die?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I've heard you say a hundred times, that it is a thwarting of God's plan whenever a child dies: why don't you cure Raby?”

Chapter 4 of Hetty's Strange History by Helen Hunt Jackson holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 4 of Hetty's Strange History contain?

Chapter 4 holds 412 sentences of Hetty's Strange History, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Hetty's Strange History by Helen Hunt Jackson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Hetty's Strange History?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Hetty's Strange History

Common questions about reading Hetty's Strange History by Helen Hunt Jackson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Hetty's Strange History?

Yes. All 3274 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9311 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Hetty's Strange History is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9311, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Hetty's Strange History take to read?

About 272 minutes of reading across 655 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Hetty's Strange History section by section

How to work through Hetty's Strange History section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 8 chapters of Hetty's Strange History to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Hetty's Strange History

Words and structures a reader meets early in Hetty's Strange History, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hetty's Strange History; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mercy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hetty's Strange History; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Philbrick's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hetty's Strange History; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Choice
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hetty's Strange History; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.