Chapter 4 of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step. She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up. Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him. She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him. And then--her heart stood still.
Chapter 4 of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading “She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.”
express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading “She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.”
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading “She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.”
make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.”
-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.”
in a swift manner
From this reading “She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up.”
lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
From this reading “There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.”
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading “There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.”
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 There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up.
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.
express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading And then--her heart stood still.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up.
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.
any competition
From this reading Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
not in physical motion
From this reading And then--her heart stood still.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading And then--her heart stood still.
-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
in a swift manner
From this reading She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She had not seen him before that day, and she felt a momentary compunction as she moved to greet him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then--her heart stood still.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ronnie had returned to prepare for the race, and she had not heard him.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up.
lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
From this reading There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She turned swiftly in her chair, and sprang up.
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading There came the sound of a step on the veranda--a stumbling, uncertain step.
Chapter 4 of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Rosa Mundi and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7885 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13774 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13774, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1577 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rosa Mundi and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories 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 Rosa Mundi and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
