Chapter 4 of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Wonderful! Max is getting more virtuous than ever. I'll praise him next time I go." "No, don't--please," said Mrs Shingle earnestly. "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
Chapter 4 of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
be able to spare or give up
From this reading “"Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."”
in a serious manner
From this reading “"No, don't--please," said Mrs Shingle earnestly.”
street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading “Max is getting more virtuous than ever.”
cause to feel resentment or indignation
From this reading “"Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."”
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading “I'll praise him next time I go."”
building material used as siding or roofing
From this reading “"No, don't--please," said Mrs Shingle earnestly.”
morally excellent
From this reading “Max is getting more virtuous than ever.”
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading “"Wonderful!”
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 “I'll praise him next time I go."”
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.
be able to spare or give up
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, don't--please," said Mrs Shingle earnestly.
in a serious manner
From this reading "No, don't--please," said Mrs Shingle earnestly.
at any time
From this reading Max is getting more virtuous than ever.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
the act of acquiring something
From this reading Max is getting more virtuous than ever.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I'll praise him next time I go."
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I'll praise him next time I go."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I'll praise him next time I go."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll praise him next time I go."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Max is getting more virtuous than ever.
and nothing more
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading Max is getting more virtuous than ever.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Max is getting more virtuous than ever.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "No, don't--please," said Mrs Shingle earnestly.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading I'll praise him next time I go."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, don't--please," said Mrs Shingle earnestly.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
cause to feel resentment or indignation
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "No, don't--please," said Mrs Shingle earnestly.
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading I'll praise him next time I go."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No, don't--please," said Mrs Shingle earnestly.
building material used as siding or roofing
From this reading "No, don't--please," said Mrs Shingle earnestly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Max is getting more virtuous than ever.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I'll praise him next time I go."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
morally excellent
From this reading Max is getting more virtuous than ever.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Every little does help so just now; and we can't afford to offend Max."
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading "Wonderful!
Chapter 4 of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree by George Manville Fenn holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4105 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40674 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40674, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 342 minutes of reading across 821 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree 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 Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
