Chapter 4 of Kings in Adversity is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Kings in Adversity is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked: “Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?” “No, monsieur. He went away at once.” “Very good!” exclaimed the Rexanian.
Chapter 4 of Kings in Adversity is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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 mental state of extreme emotional disturbance
From this reading “By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:”
-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading ““Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?””
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading “By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:”
restrained or managed or kept within certain bounds
From this reading “By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:”
in a keen or penetrating way
From this reading “By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading ““No, monsieur.”
a brief written record
From this reading ““Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?””
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “He went away at once.””
In this reading “By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:”
move away from a place into another direction
In this reading “He went away at once.””
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 By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
react verbally
From this reading “Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He went away at once.”
-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading “Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He went away at once.”
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?”
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
restrained or managed or kept within certain bounds
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Very good!” exclaimed the Rexanian.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Very good!” exclaimed the Rexanian.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He went away at once.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?”
in a keen or penetrating way
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “No, monsieur.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, monsieur.
a brief written record
From this reading “Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
on one occasion
From this reading He went away at once.”
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Very good!” exclaimed the Rexanian.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?”
precisely as stated
From this reading “Very good!” exclaimed the Rexanian.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He went away at once.”
which person or people
From this reading “Is the man who brought this note awaiting an answer?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading By a strong effort of will, the prince controlled his agitation, and, eying the butler keenly, asked:
Chapter 4 of Kings in Adversity by Edward S. (Edward Sims) Van Zile holds 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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 72 sentences of Kings in Adversity, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Kings in Adversity by Edward S. (Edward Sims) Van Zile exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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.
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Yes. All 3449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62777 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62777, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 287 minutes of reading across 690 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Kings in Adversity section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Kings in Adversity 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 Kings in Adversity, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
