Chapter 4 of John Halifax, Gentleman is here in full — 369 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of John Halifax, Gentleman is here in full — 369 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Winter came early and sudden that year. It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were. I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael. At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day. "What does thee want the lad for?"
Chapter 4 of John Halifax, Gentleman is here in full — 369 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/73 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.”
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading “It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.”
provincial capital and largest city of Nova Scotia
From this reading “At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.”
in such a manner as could not be otherwise
From this reading “It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.”
a boy or man
From this reading “"What does thee want the lad for?"”
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading “It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.”
plural of “winter” — the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading “It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.”
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 It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Winter came early and sudden that year.
any person at all
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Winter came early and sudden that year.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What does thee want the lad for?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Winter came early and sudden that year.
divisible by two
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What does thee want the lad for?"
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
provincial capital and largest city of Nova Scotia
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
in such a manner as could not be otherwise
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
a boy or man
From this reading "What does thee want the lad for?"
immediately past
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
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 It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
cut with a saw
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
express in words
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Winter came early and sudden that year.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Winter came early and sudden that year.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading "What does thee want the lad for?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "What does thee want the lad for?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What does thee want the lad for?"
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Winter came early and sudden that year.
plural of “winter” — the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters inevitably were.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading At last I took courage to say to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Winter came early and sudden that year.
Chapter 4 of John Halifax, Gentleman by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik holds 369 sentences, grouped into 74 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.
Chapter 4 holds 369 sentences of John Halifax, Gentleman, unabridged, divided into 74 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of John Halifax, Gentleman by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 369 sentences, grouped into 74 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 74 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 74 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 John Halifax, Gentleman by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11447 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2351 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2351, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through John Halifax, Gentleman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of John Halifax, Gentleman 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 John Halifax, Gentleman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
