Chapter 4 of Invisible Links is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Invisible Links is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say. At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen. She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root. He was a man poor in words. Not a syllable could he utter.
Chapter 4 of Invisible Links is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading “She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.”
nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading “She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.”
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading ““I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.”
(botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground
From this reading “She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.”
a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
From this reading “Not a syllable could he utter.”
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading “At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.”
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading “Not a syllable could he utter.”
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.”
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 did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Not a syllable could he utter.
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
roused to anger
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was a man poor in words.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading He was a man poor in words.
(botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
Identical; not different.
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
express in words
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
express a supposition
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
From this reading Not a syllable could he utter.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
a special situation
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading Not a syllable could he utter.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She did not care to hear it told down in the village that she had danced with a fir root.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He was a man poor in words.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading At the same time she wondered how she would get him to hold his tongue about what he had seen.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I suppose you think I am mad,” was the first thing that occurred to her to say.
Chapter 4 of Invisible Links by Selma Lagerlöf holds 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 443 sentences of Invisible Links, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Invisible Links by Selma Lagerlöf exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Invisible Links by Selma Lagerlöf on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4762 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14273 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14273, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 396 minutes of reading across 953 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Invisible Links section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Invisible Links 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 Invisible Links, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
