Chapter 4 of Little Novels is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Little Novels is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MAN. "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde. "They were tired of waiting. I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him." "Sleep of the common sort is evidently not allowed in this house."
Chapter 4 of Little Novels is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
-ing form of “address” — speak to
From this reading “"The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.”
in a state of sleep
From this reading “I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “"Sleep of the common sort is evidently not allowed in this house."”
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “"The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.”
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading “I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “"The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “"They were tired of waiting.”
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading “I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."”
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.
-ing form of “address” — speak to
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading "Sleep of the common sort is evidently not allowed in this house."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
feeling or showing anger
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
in a state of sleep
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading "Sleep of the common sort is evidently not allowed in this house."
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading "Sleep of the common sort is evidently not allowed in this house."
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
set up or found
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
a man of refinement
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
destroyed or killed
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Sleep of the common sort is evidently not allowed in this house."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Sleep of the common sort is evidently not allowed in this house."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
a woman of refinement
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE MAN.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Sleep of the common sort is evidently not allowed in this house."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "They were tired of waiting.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading "Sleep of the common sort is evidently not allowed in this house."
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "Sleep of the common sort is evidently not allowed in this house."
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MAN.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They were tired of waiting.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "The other three gentlemen have gone away, madam," the servant explained, addressing Madame Lagarde.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading "They were tired of waiting.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "They were tired of waiting.
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "They were tired of waiting.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I found _this_ gentleman fast asleep; and I am afraid he is angry with me for taking the liberty of waking him."
Chapter 4 of Little Novels by Wilkie Collins holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 141 sentences of Little Novels, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Little Novels by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3277 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1630 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1630, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 273 minutes of reading across 656 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Little Novels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Little Novels 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 Little Novels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
