Chapter 4 of More Portmanteau Plays is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of More Portmanteau Plays is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I mean I love you. SHE ... Yes? HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested? SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.
Chapter 4 of More Portmanteau Plays is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.”
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading “HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “I mean I love you.”
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading “SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.”
a garment worn around the head or neck or shoulders for warmth or decoration
From this reading “HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?”
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.”
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
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.
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 HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I mean I love you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading I mean I love you.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading I mean I love you.
a form of address for a man
From this reading SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.
a garment worn around the head or neck or shoulders for warmth or decoration
From this reading HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading SHE ...
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading HE (_taking her scarf in his hand_) Aren't you interested?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading SHE Why, really, Mr. Gordon, you ask such strange questions.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I mean I love you.
Chapter 4 of More Portmanteau Plays by Stuart Walker holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of More Portmanteau Plays, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of More Portmanteau Plays by Stuart Walker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 More Portmanteau Plays by Stuart Walker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3495 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37967 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37967, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 291 minutes of reading across 699 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through More Portmanteau Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of More Portmanteau Plays 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 More Portmanteau Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
