Chapter 4 of Miss Billy's Decision is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Miss Billy's Decision is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day. “Have you?” Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters. “What does she say?” “She will be here Thursday.
Chapter 4 of Miss Billy's Decision is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading ““I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.”
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.”
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading “Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.”
the literary culture
From this reading “Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.”
a midday meal
From this reading ““I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading ““I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.”
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading “Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.”
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading ““She will be here Thursday.”
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 “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “She will be here Thursday.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
dearly loved
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What does she say?”
opinion or judgment
From this reading Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
the literary culture
From this reading Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.
a midday meal
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Billy raised interested eyes from her own letters.
express in words
From this reading “What does she say?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “What does she say?”
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I have a letter here from Mary Jane, my dear,” announced Aunt Hannah at the luncheon table one day.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading “She will be here Thursday.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What does she say?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “She will be here Thursday.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Have you?”
Chapter 4 of Miss Billy's Decision by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter holds 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 96 sentences of Miss Billy's Decision, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Miss Billy's Decision by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Miss Billy's Decision by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5345 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #362 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #362, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 445 minutes of reading across 1069 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Miss Billy's Decision section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Miss Billy's Decision 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 Miss Billy's Decision, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
