Chapter 4 of No Thoroughfare is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of No Thoroughfare is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding. "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away! What am I to do?" "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done? He may not be alive now, for anything you know.
Chapter 4 of No Thoroughfare is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
possessing life
From this reading “He may not be alive now, for anything you know.”
a period of 100 years
From this reading “"And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!”
a slight indication
From this reading “"Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding.”
psychological suffering
From this reading “"I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?”
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading “"Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding.”
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading “"I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?”
one of four equal parts
From this reading “"And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!”
a wild uncultivated plant (especially a wild apple or crabapple tree)
From this reading “"Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding.”
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 "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
possessing life
From this reading He may not be alive now, for anything you know.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading What am I to do?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
any thing at all
From this reading He may not be alive now, for anything you know.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
a period of 100 years
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
a young person of either sex
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
a slight indication
From this reading "Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding.
psychological suffering
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What am I to do?"
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading "Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He may not be alive now, for anything you know.
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He may not be alive now, for anything you know.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What am I to do?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He may not be alive now, for anything you know.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading He may not be alive now, for anything you know.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He may not be alive now, for anything you know.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He may not be alive now, for anything you know.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
the action of attacking an enemy
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
and nothing more
From this reading "Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
one of four equal parts
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
term of address for a man
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
carry out
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What am I to do?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And a quarter of a century has passed since the child was taken away!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What am I to do?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
a wild uncultivated plant (especially a wild apple or crabapple tree)
From this reading "Only that faint clue!" said Mr. Wilding.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "I hope you won't take offence at my freedom, sir," said Mrs. Goldstraw; "but why should you distress yourself about what is to be done?
Chapter 4 of No Thoroughfare by Charles Dickens holds 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 189 sentences of No Thoroughfare, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of No Thoroughfare by Charles Dickens exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 No Thoroughfare by Charles Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3104 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1423 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1423, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 621 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through No Thoroughfare section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of No Thoroughfare 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 No Thoroughfare, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
