Chapter 4 of Oswald Bastable and Others is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Oswald Bastable and Others is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'No,' said Alice; 'we came back for you. And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.' H. O. asked what was enchancery. 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it. Enchanceried is a very nice word.
Chapter 4 of Oswald Bastable and Others is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
a court with jurisdiction in equity
From this reading “And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'”
Filled with or placed under the influence of magical power or charm.
From this reading “'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.”
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'”
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “Enchanceried is a very nice word.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.”
out of fashion
From this reading “'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.”
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 Enchanceried is a very nice word.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'No,' said Alice; 'we came back for you.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading 'No,' said Alice; 'we came back for you.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading 'No,' said Alice; 'we came back for you.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
a court with jurisdiction in equity
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Enchanceried is a very nice word.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading H. O. asked what was enchancery.
Filled with or placed under the influence of magical power or charm.
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'No,' said Alice; 'we came back for you.
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading H. O. asked what was enchancery.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Enchanceried is a very nice word.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading Enchanceried is a very nice word.
not any; not one
From this reading 'No,' said Alice; 'we came back for you.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading H. O. asked what was enchancery.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
out of fashion
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
and nothing more
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'No,' said Alice; 'we came back for you.
express in words
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
precisely as stated
From this reading Enchanceried is a very nice word.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And we asked an old man, and he _did_ say it was in Chancery, so no one can live in it.'
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading 'No,' said Alice; 'we came back for you.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading H. O. asked what was enchancery.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading 'I'm certain the old man meant enchanted,' said Noel, 'only I expect that's the old-fashioned word for it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'No,' said Alice; 'we came back for you.
Chapter 4 of Oswald Bastable and Others by E. (Edith) Nesbit holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Oswald Bastable and Others, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Oswald Bastable and Others by E. (Edith) Nesbit exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Oswald Bastable and Others by E. (Edith) Nesbit on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4483 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28804 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28804, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 373 minutes of reading across 897 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Oswald Bastable and Others section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Oswald Bastable and Others 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 Oswald Bastable and Others, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
