Chapter 4 of Mollie and the Unwiseman is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Mollie and the Unwiseman is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie. "Exactly," returned the Unwiseman. "I felt very badly on my way back home, too. I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator." "A what?" cried Whistlebinkie.
Chapter 4 of Mollie and the Unwiseman is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading “"I felt very badly on my way back home, too.”
past form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading “"And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.”
a teacher or teacher's assistant who demonstrates the principles that are being taught
From this reading “I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."”
put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
From this reading “I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."”
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “"Exactly," returned the Unwiseman.”
someone who makes and sells hats
From this reading “I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."”
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading “I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."”
popular aquarium fish
From this reading “"And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.”
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.
to come or go into
In this reading “"And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.”
In this reading “"I felt very badly on my way back home, too.”
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 had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "I felt very badly on my way back home, too.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading "I felt very badly on my way back home, too.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "A what?" cried Whistlebinkie.
past form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
a teacher or teacher's assistant who demonstrates the principles that are being taught
From this reading I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."
put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
From this reading I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading "Exactly," returned the Unwiseman.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "I felt very badly on my way back home, too.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."
someone who makes and sells hats
From this reading I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "I felt very badly on my way back home, too.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I felt very badly on my way back home, too.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."
popular aquarium fish
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I felt very badly on my way back home, too.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I felt very badly on my way back home, too.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Exactly," returned the Unwiseman.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Exactly," returned the Unwiseman.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "I felt very badly on my way back home, too.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Exactly," returned the Unwiseman.
precisely as stated
From this reading "I felt very badly on my way back home, too.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading I had hoped that the hatter wanted to employ me as a demonstrator."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "I felt very badly on my way back home, too.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "A what?" cried Whistlebinkie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A what?" cried Whistlebinkie.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And so you declined to go into that business?" asked Mollie.
Chapter 4 of Mollie and the Unwiseman by John Kendrick Bangs holds 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 443 sentences of Mollie and the Unwiseman, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Mollie and the Unwiseman by John Kendrick Bangs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Mollie and the Unwiseman by John Kendrick Bangs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1757 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39820 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39820, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 146 minutes of reading across 352 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mollie and the Unwiseman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Mollie and the Unwiseman 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 Mollie and the Unwiseman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
