Chapter 4 of Nobody's Child is here in full — 421 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 Nobody's Child is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You keep even your dead to yourselves, don't you? In a way, I like the clannishness of it. You keep everything to yourselves, birth and marriage and death.... I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three. The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
Chapter 4 of Nobody's Child is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
(usually followed by “to”) naturally disposed toward
From this reading “The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."”
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading “You keep everything to yourselves, birth and marriage and death....”
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading “I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.”
worry unnecessarily or excessively
From this reading “I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.”
unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event
From this reading “The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."”
state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
From this reading “The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."”
a feeling of great happiness
From this reading “The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."”
used when the people spoken to are both doing and receiving the action
From this reading “"You keep even your dead to yourselves, don't you?”
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.
In this reading “The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."”
In this reading “I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.”
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 In a way, I like the clannishness of it.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You keep everything to yourselves, birth and marriage and death....
(usually followed by “to”) naturally disposed toward
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading You keep everything to yourselves, birth and marriage and death....
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.
tendency to associate with only a select group
From this reading In a way, I like the clannishness of it.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "You keep even your dead to yourselves, don't you?
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading You keep everything to yourselves, birth and marriage and death....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You keep even your dead to yourselves, don't you?
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
divisible by two
From this reading "You keep even your dead to yourselves, don't you?
all things; all of a situation
From this reading You keep everything to yourselves, birth and marriage and death....
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
worry unnecessarily or excessively
From this reading I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.
usually; as a rule
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading In a way, I like the clannishness of it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a way, I like the clannishness of it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading In a way, I like the clannishness of it.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "You keep even your dead to yourselves, don't you?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading In a way, I like the clannishness of it.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading You keep everything to yourselves, birth and marriage and death....
unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.
not any; not one
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In a way, I like the clannishness of it.
above and across; more than
From this reading I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
a feeling of great happiness
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The first is generally a misfortune, the second is apt to be no cause for rejoicing, and the end of it all no real reason for mourning."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In a way, I like the clannishness of it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You keep even your dead to yourselves, don't you?
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading I think there's too much fuss and ceremony over all three.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading In a way, I like the clannishness of it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You keep even your dead to yourselves, don't you?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You keep even your dead to yourselves, don't you?
used when the people spoken to are both doing and receiving the action
From this reading "You keep even your dead to yourselves, don't you?
Chapter 4 of Nobody's Child by Elizabeth Dejeans holds 421 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 421 sentences of Nobody's Child, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Nobody's Child by Elizabeth Dejeans exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 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 Nobody's Child by Elizabeth Dejeans on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5135 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36531 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36531, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 427 minutes of reading across 1027 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nobody's Child section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Nobody's Child 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 Nobody's Child, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
