Chapter 4 of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3) is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3) is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LODGERS. "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again." "I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply. "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up." "Pa!--you really can't mean it."
Chapter 4 of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3) is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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 decorative pin worn by women
From this reading “"Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."”
be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading “"Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."”
be worthy or deserving
From this reading “"And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “"And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “"Pa!--you really can't mean it."”
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “"I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply.”
English poet (1554-1586)
From this reading “"Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."”
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading “"And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."”
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.
be contingent on
In this reading “"Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “"And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."”
In this reading “"Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply.
anew
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
a youthful male person
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
a decorative pin worn by women
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Pa!--you really can't mean it."
be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
be worthy or deserving
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LODGERS.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Pa!--you really can't mean it."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "Pa!--you really can't mean it."
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Pa!--you really can't mean it."
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
English poet (1554-1586)
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I'm not so sure about that," was the half-confident reply.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And depend upon it, you don't deserve to see it, boy--and that I for one shall be glad if it never turns up."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Depend upon it, Sidney, you'll never set eyes on that brooch again."
Chapter 4 of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3) by F. W. (Frederick William) Robinson holds 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 65 sentences of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3), unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3) by F. W. (Frederick William) Robinson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3) by F. W. (Frederick William) Robinson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2612 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35290 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35290, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 217 minutes of reading across 523 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3) 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 Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
