Chapter 4 of Prue and I is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Prue and I is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity. "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after. I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles. I had become their slave. I had nothing more to fear.
Chapter 4 of Prue and I is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
any art that invokes supernatural powers
From this reading “I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.”
Recollections of past events.
From this reading “I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.”
born after a gestation period of less than the normal time
From this reading “I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.”
strange in an interesting or pleasing way
From this reading “When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.”
a person who is owned by someone
From this reading “I had become their slave.”
a trait of dignified seriousness
From this reading “When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.”
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading “I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.”
in a softened tone
From this reading “When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.”
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 I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.
later than; following
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
anew
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
how long something has existed
From this reading I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.
in the past
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading I had become their slave.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading I had nothing more to fear.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had become their slave.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
any art that invokes supernatural powers
From this reading I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
From this reading I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.
Recollections of past events.
From this reading I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I had nothing more to fear.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading I had nothing more to fear.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.
born after a gestation period of less than the normal time
From this reading I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.
strange in an interesting or pleasing way
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
a person who is owned by someone
From this reading I had become their slave.
a trait of dignified seriousness
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
in the near future
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading I brought with me, premature age, a past of melancholy memories, and the magic spectacles.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
in a softened tone
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading I had become their slave.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "These things were matters of long, long ago, and I came to this country soon after.
at the time that
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When he spoke again, it was with the old subdued tone, and the air of quaint solemnity.
Chapter 4 of Prue and I by George William Curtis holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 398 sentences of Prue and I, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Prue and I by George William Curtis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Prue and I by George William Curtis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2059 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8645 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8645, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 171 minutes of reading across 412 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Prue and I section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Prue and I 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 Prue and I, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
