Chapter 4 of Mary is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Mary is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She did not answer. "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?" Alice looked away from him and gave no answer. "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?" "There are limits to everything," he heard her say.
Chapter 4 of Mary is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading “She did not answer.”
past form of “behave” — behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading “"Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"”
all things; all of a situation
From this reading “"There are limits to everything," he heard her say.”
without good sense or judgment
From this reading “"Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"”
plural of “limit” — the greatest possible degree of something
From this reading “"There are limits to everything," he heard her say.”
act as a barrier between; stand between
From this reading “"Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “"Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"”
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading “"We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"”
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 “"We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"”
In this reading “"We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice looked away from him and gave no answer.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
react verbally
From this reading She did not answer.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "There are limits to everything," he heard her say.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Alice looked away from him and gave no answer.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
past form of “behave” — behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not answer.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
divisible by two
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "There are limits to everything," he heard her say.
without good sense or judgment
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Alice looked away from him and gave no answer.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Alice looked away from him and gave no answer.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "There are limits to everything," he heard her say.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "There are limits to everything," he heard her say.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "There are limits to everything," he heard her say.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Alice looked away from him and gave no answer.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
plural of “limit” — the greatest possible degree of something
From this reading "There are limits to everything," he heard her say.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Alice looked away from him and gave no answer.
not any; not one
From this reading Alice looked away from him and gave no answer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not answer.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
express in words
From this reading "There are limits to everything," he heard her say.
act as a barrier between; stand between
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did not answer.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There are limits to everything," he heard her say.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
(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 "Even if I have behaved foolishly, we two surely know each other too well for that to separate us?"
which person or people
From this reading "We who have always been such good friends and had such good times together?"
Chapter 4 of Mary by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of Mary, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Mary by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Mary by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3678 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33300 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33300, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 306 minutes of reading across 736 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Mary 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 Mary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
