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Oswald Cray: A Novel
Oswald Cray: A Novel

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Oswald Cray: A Novel is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Henry, Mrs. Wood • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Oswald Cray: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
NEAL'S CURIOSITY.
They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.
It was an unusually silent table.
Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.
Neal moved about noiselessly.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Oswald Cray: A Novel

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Oswald Cray: A Novel is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
NEAL'S CURIOSITY.
Line 2
They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.
Line 3
It was an unusually silent table.
/ɪt wɑːz æn əˈnjuːʒuːəli ˈsaɪlənt ˈteɪbəl/
Line 4
Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.
Line 5
Neal moved about noiselessly.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Caroline adjective US /ˈkerəlaɪn/

of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England

From this reading “They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
deaf adjective US /def/

lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing wholly or in part

From this reading “Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
demand noun US /dɪˈmænd/

an urgent or peremptory request

From this reading “Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
digest verb US /daɪˈdʒest/

convert food into absorbable substances

From this reading “Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
plate noun US /pleɪt/

(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score

From this reading “Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
scented adjective US /ˈsentɪd/

having the sense of smell

From this reading “Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
timid adjective US /ˈtɪmɪd/

showing fear and lack of confidence

From this reading “Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unusually adverb US /əˈnjuːʒuːəli/

to a remarkable degree or extent

From this reading “It was an unusually silent table.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

unusually silent adverb + adjective

In this reading “It was an unusually silent table.”

291 times in 426,211 chapters
in the air preposition + article + noun counted as “in … air”

on everybody's mind

In this reading “Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.”

36,563 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 49

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.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Neal moved about noiselessly.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
altogetheradverbUS /ˌɔːltəˈɡeðər/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It was an unusually silent table.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Bettina

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

Pending verification
CarolineadjectiveUS /ˈkerəlaɪn/

of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
comfortableadjectiveUS /ˈkʌmfərtəbəl/

providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
consciousadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

intentionally conceived

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Cray

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Pending verification
CURIOSITYnounUS /ˌkjʊriˈɑːsəti/

a state in which you want to learn more about something

From this reading NEAL'S CURIOSITY.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Davenal

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

Pending verification
daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
deafadjectiveUS /def/

lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing wholly or in part

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
demandnounUS /dɪˈmænd/

an urgent or peremptory request

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
digestverbUS /daɪˈdʒest/

convert food into absorbable substances

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dinner-table

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

Pending verification
Dr

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

Pending verification
eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was an unusually silent table.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
movedadjectiveUS /muːvd/

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

From this reading Neal moved about noiselessly.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Neal

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Neal moved about noiselessly.

Pending verification
NEAL'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading NEAL'S CURIOSITY.

Pending verification
noiselesslyadverb

without a sound

From this reading Neal moved about noiselessly.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
platenounUS /pleɪt/

(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
raiseverbUS /reɪz/

raise the level or amount of something

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Sara

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

Pending verification
satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
scentedadjectiveUS /ˈsentɪd/

having the sense of smell

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
silentadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪlənt/

marked by absence of sound

From this reading It was an unusually silent table.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading It was an unusually silent table.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They sat around the dinner-table; Dr. Davenal, Miss Bettina, Sara, and Caroline.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
timidadjectiveUS /ˈtɪmɪd/

showing fear and lack of confidence

From this reading Dr. Davenal could not digest the demand of Mr. Cray for Caroline; Caroline was conscious and timid; Sara scented something not altogether comfortable in the air, and did not raise her eyes from her plate; and it was one of the unusually deaf days of Miss Bettina.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unusuallyadverbUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəli/

to a remarkable degree or extent

From this reading It was an unusually silent table.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was an unusually silent table.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 4 of Oswald Cray: A Novel by Henry, Mrs. Wood holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

What does chapter 4 of Oswald Cray: A Novel contain?

Chapter 4 holds 213 sentences of Oswald Cray: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Oswald Cray: A Novel by Henry, Mrs. Wood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Oswald Cray: A Novel?

Work through the 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 43 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Oswald Cray: A Novel

Common questions about reading Oswald Cray: A Novel by Henry, Mrs. Wood on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Oswald Cray: A Novel?

Yes. All 14658 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58188 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Oswald Cray: A Novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #58188, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Oswald Cray: A Novel take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2932 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Oswald Cray: A Novel section by section

How to work through Oswald Cray: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in Oswald Cray: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in Oswald Cray: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Oswald
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Oswald Cray: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Novel
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Oswald Cray: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Henry
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Oswald Cray: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Oswald Cray: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.