Chapter 4 of How It Happened is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of How It Happened is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat. She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty. Then he smiled. "Thank you," he said. "I don't know that I care to see.
Chapter 4 of How It Happened is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.”
past form of “envelop” — enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
From this reading “She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.”
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading “She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.”
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading “Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.”
held up in the air
From this reading “Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “Then he smiled.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading “She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.”
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 She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "I don't know that I care to see.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know that I care to see.
past form of “envelop” — enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know that I care to see.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know that I care to see.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
held up in the air
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
a particular point in time
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Thank you," he said.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I don't know that I care to see.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Then he smiled.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
express in words
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Thank you," he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
held up in the air
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading Turning, Van Landing looked into the little face upraised to his, then lifted his hat.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She was so enveloped in the big coat which came to her heels that for half a moment he could not tell whether she was ten or twenty.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Thank you," he said.
Chapter 4 of How It Happened by Kate Langley Bosher holds 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 136 sentences of How It Happened, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of How It Happened by Kate Langley Bosher exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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.
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