Chapter 4 of Jan and Her Job is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Jan and Her Job is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in. She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace. She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it? Did you see many people? Was the band good?"
Chapter 4 of Jan and Her Job is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
very small
From this reading “She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.”
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading “She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.”
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.”
an article of clothing
From this reading “She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.”
possessive form of “jan” — the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?”
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading “She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.”
from appearances alone
From this reading “She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Did you see many people?”
seek information from
In this reading “She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?”
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.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading Was the band good?"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
very small
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
an article of clothing
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Was the band good?"
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
possessive form of “jan” — the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Did you see many people?
a soft lightweight muslin used especially for babies
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Did you see many people?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Did you see many people?
from appearances alone
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
not in physical motion
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
at the time that
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE JOB Fay was still lying on her long chair in the verandah when Jan got in.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading She had turned on the electric light above her head and had, seemingly, been working at some diminutive garment of nainsook and lace.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading She looked up at Jan's step, asking eagerly, "Well, did you like it?
Chapter 4 of Jan and Her Job by L. Allen (Lizzie Allen) Harker holds 224 sentences, grouped into 45 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 224 sentences of Jan and Her Job, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Jan and Her Job by L. Allen (Lizzie Allen) Harker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 224 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Jan and Her Job by L. Allen (Lizzie Allen) Harker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5506 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29945 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29945, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 458 minutes of reading across 1102 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jan and Her Job section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Jan and Her Job 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 Jan and Her Job, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
