Chapter 4 of It Might Have Been is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of It Might Have Been is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note 1. Except, only. This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century. Note 2. Nevertheless.
Chapter 4 of It Might Have Been is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
a period of 100 years
From this reading “This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.”
apart from; not including
From this reading “Except, only.”
coming next after the thirteenth in position
From this reading “This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.”
in spite of what has just been said
From this reading “Nevertheless.”
in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading “This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.”
a brief written record
From this reading “------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note 1.”
a lack of sophistication
From this reading “This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.”
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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note 1.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Note 2.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
the use of an archaic expression
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
a period of 100 years
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
apart from; not including
From this reading Except, only.
coming next after the thirteenth in position
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
in spite of what has just been said
From this reading Nevertheless.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
a brief written record
From this reading ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note 1.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
and nothing more
From this reading Except, only.
a lack of sophistication
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This, now a Northern provincialism, is an archaism at least as old as the fourteenth century.
Chapter 4 of It Might Have Been by Emily Sarah Holt holds 391 sentences, grouped into 79 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 391 sentences of It Might Have Been, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of It Might Have Been by Emily Sarah Holt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 391 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 It Might Have Been by Emily Sarah Holt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6108 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25834 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25834, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 509 minutes of reading across 1222 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through It Might Have Been section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of It Might Have Been 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 It Might Have Been, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
