Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
King Midas: a Romance
King Midas: a Romance

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of King Midas: a Romance is here in full — 351 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for King Midas: a Romance
Context Illustration Reading 1/70 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?
Proputty, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'em saay.
But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”
Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.
She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

King Midas: a Romance

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of King Midas: a Romance is here in full — 351 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/70 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?
Line 2
Proputty, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'em saay.
Line 3
But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”
Line 4
Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.
/ˈhelən hæd mʌtʃ tuː duː tuː kiːp hɜːr ˈbɪzi ˈdʊrɪŋ ðə nekst fjuː deɪz/
Line 5
She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

Learner Dictionary

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.

accomplishments noun US /əˈkɑːmplɪʃmənts/

plural of “accomplishment” — the action of accomplishing something

From this reading “She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.”

everyone pronoun US /ˈevriwʌn/

every person

From this reading “She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.”

favorite noun US /ˈfeɪvərɪt/

something regarded with special favor or liking

From this reading “She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.”

feller noun US /ˈfelər/

a person who fells trees

From this reading “But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'””

goa noun US /ˈɡoʊə/

a state of southwestern India; a former Portuguese colony

From this reading “But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'””

Helen noun US /ˈhelən/

(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War

From this reading “Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.”

trip noun US /trɪp/

a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)

From this reading “She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.”

visits noun US /ˈvɪzɪts/

plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time

From this reading “She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

accomplishmentsnounUS /əˈkɑːmplɪʃmənts/

plural of “accomplishment” — the action of accomplishing something

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading “Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?

awaay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?

beautynounUS /ˈbjuːti/

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

besidesprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪdz/

in addition to; as well as

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

busyadjectiveUS /ˈbɪzi/

actively or fully engaged or occupied

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

canters

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?

curiousadjectiveUS /ˈkjʊriəs/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

Doant

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

Dosn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

earnounUS /iːr/

the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading “Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?

earsnounUS /ɪrz/

plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading Proputty, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'em saay.

effectnounUS /ɪˈfekt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

emnounUS /em/

a quad with a square body

From this reading Proputty, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'em saay.

erse's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?

everybodypronounUS /ˈevribɑːdi/

every person

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

everyonepronounUS /ˈevriwʌn/

every person

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

favoritenounUS /ˈfeɪvərɪt/

something regarded with special favor or liking

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

fellernounUS /ˈfelər/

a person who fells trees

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

generaladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

goanounUS /ˈɡoʊə/

a state of southwestern India; a former Portuguese colony

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

HelennounUS /ˈhelən/

(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Proputty, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'em saay.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

knawed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

legsnounUS /leɡz/

staying power

From this reading “Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?

manounUS /mɑː/

informal terms for a mother

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

marryverbUS /ˈmeri/

take in marriage

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

munny

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?

nearlyadverbUS /ˈnɪrli/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

Oakdale

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/

many times at short intervals

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

Proputty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Proputty, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'em saay.

Quaaker

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

receiveverbUS /rəˈsiːv/

get something; come into possession of

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

saay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Proputty, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'em saay.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

that's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Proputty, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'em saay.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading “Dosn't thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaay?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Helen had much to do to keep her busy during the next few days.

towd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

tripnounUS /trɪp/

a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

visitsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪts/

plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading She had in the first place to receive visits from nearly everybody in Oakdale, for she was a general favorite in the town, and besides that everyone was curious to see what effect the trip had had upon her beauty and accomplishments.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Proputty, proputty, proputty--that's what I 'ears 'em saay.

wheer

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But I knawed a Quaaker feller as often 'as towd ma this: 'Doant thou marry for munny, but goa wheer munny is!'”

Chapter 4 of King Midas: a Romance by Upton Sinclair holds 351 sentences, grouped into 71 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.

What does chapter 4 of King Midas: a Romance contain?

Chapter 4 holds 351 sentences of King Midas: a Romance, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of King Midas: a Romance by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 351 sentences, grouped into 71 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of King Midas: a Romance?

Work through the 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 71 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading King Midas: a Romance

Common questions about reading King Midas: a Romance by Upton Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of King Midas: a Romance?

Yes. All 4366 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4923 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of King Midas: a Romance is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4923, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does King Midas: a Romance take to read?

About 363 minutes of reading across 874 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read King Midas: a Romance section by section

How to work through King Midas: a Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 17 chapters of King Midas: a Romance to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in King Midas: a Romance

Words and structures a reader meets early in King Midas: a Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Madchen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Midas: a Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lieb'
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Midas: a Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
World
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Midas: a Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Belongs
A word that appears in the opening chapter of King Midas: a Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.