Chapter 4 of Norma Kent of the WACS is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Norma Kent of the WACS is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair. She looked at the girl standing behind the chair. “Spanish,” Norma thought. And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental. For all this she was decidedly not an Oriental.
Chapter 4 of Norma Kent of the WACS is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading “A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.”
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading “For all this she was decidedly not an Oriental.”
a movement into or inward
From this reading “A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.”
a small constellation in the southern hemisphere near Lupus and Ara in the Milky Way
From this reading “A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.”
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading “And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.”
lie obliquely
From this reading “And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.”
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading “A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.”
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 “A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “She looked at the girl standing behind the chair.”
In this reading “A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.”
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 A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
(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 For all this she was decidedly not an Oriental.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She looked at the girl standing behind the chair.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading She looked at the girl standing behind the chair.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading For all this she was decidedly not an Oriental.
a movement into or inward
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
opinion or judgment
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For all this she was decidedly not an Oriental.
set up or found
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
a young female
From this reading She looked at the girl standing behind the chair.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked at the girl standing behind the chair.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
a small constellation in the southern hemisphere near Lupus and Ara in the Milky Way
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For all this she was decidedly not an Oriental.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
and nothing more
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked at the girl standing behind the chair.
lie obliquely
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading “Spanish,” Norma thought.
having a supporting base
From this reading She looked at the girl standing behind the chair.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading For all this she was decidedly not an Oriental.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Spanish,” Norma thought.
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT On entering the small, crowded beauty parlor Norma found only one vacant chair.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For all this she was decidedly not an Oriental.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet her eyes were set at a slant like those of an Oriental.
Chapter 4 of Norma Kent of the WACS by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 206 sentences of Norma Kent of the WACS, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Norma Kent of the WACS by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Norma Kent of the WACS by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5092 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48599 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48599, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 424 minutes of reading across 1019 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Norma Kent of the WACS section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Norma Kent of the WACS 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 Norma Kent of the WACS, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
