Chapter 4 of Shenac's Work at Home is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Shenac's Work at Home is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I would do it well," said Shenac. "I would begin to-morrow." "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely. Shenac looked at him, but said nothing. "What could happen, John, man?" said his wife.
Chapter 4 of Shenac's Work at Home is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"I would begin to-morrow."”
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading “"But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “"But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.”
come to pass
From this reading “"But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “"But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.”
a group of seven bright stars in the constellation Ursa Major
From this reading “"But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.”
place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth
From this reading “"But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.”
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading “"But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Shenac looked at him, but said nothing.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "I would begin to-morrow."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I would do it well," said Shenac.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
come to pass
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Shenac looked at him, but said nothing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "What could happen, John, man?" said his wife.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I would do it well," said Shenac.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I would do it well," said Shenac.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Shenac looked at him, but said nothing.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "What could happen, John, man?" said his wife.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Shenac looked at him, but said nothing.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
a group of seven bright stars in the constellation Ursa Major
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I would do it well," said Shenac.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I would do it well," said Shenac.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I would begin to-morrow."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "I would do it well," said Shenac.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "What could happen, John, man?" said his wife.
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I would do it well," said Shenac.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But if you were to do the wool, and then something was to happen that I could not plough or sow the field, what then?" asked John gravely.
Chapter 4 of Shenac's Work at Home by Margaret M. (Margaret Murray) Robertson holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 437 sentences of Shenac's Work at Home, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Shenac's Work at Home by Margaret M. (Margaret Murray) Robertson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Shenac's Work at Home by Margaret M. (Margaret Murray) Robertson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3558 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21227 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21227, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 296 minutes of reading across 712 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shenac's Work at Home section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Shenac's Work at Home 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 Shenac's Work at Home, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
