Chapter 4 of Mary Barton is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Mary Barton is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OLD ALICE'S HISTORY. To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content. ELLIOTT. Another year passed on. The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
Chapter 4 of Mary Barton is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
more than enough in size or scope or capacity
From this reading “To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.”
form a curve
From this reading “To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.”
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading “To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.”
a period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday
From this reading “To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.”
feel sadness
From this reading “To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.”
a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
From this reading “To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.”
plural of “sweet” — English phonetician; one of the founders of modern phonetics (1845-1912)
From this reading “To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.”
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading “To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.”
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 To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OLD ALICE'S HISTORY.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
more than enough in size or scope or capacity
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another year passed on.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
form a curve
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
a legal document signed and sealed and delivered to effect a transfer of property and to show the legal right to possess it
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ELLIOTT.
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
that which is pleasing or valuable or useful
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading OLD ALICE'S HISTORY.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
a period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
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 The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
feel sadness
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
not any; not one
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD ALICE'S HISTORY.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Another year passed on.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Another year passed on.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
without speaking
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
plural of “sweet” — English phonetician; one of the founders of modern phonetics (1845-1912)
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
possessing sweep
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
a just detectable amount
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading The waves of time seemed long since to have swept away all trace of poor Mary Barton.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading To envy nought beneath the ample sky; To mourn no evil deed, no hour mis-spent; And, like a living violet, silently Return in sweets to Heaven what goodness lent, Then bend beneath the chastening shower content.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Another year passed on.
Chapter 4 of Mary Barton by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 164 sentences of Mary Barton, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Mary Barton by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Barton by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7946 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2153 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2153, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1590 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mary Barton section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Mary Barton 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 Barton, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
