Chapter 4 of Sketches New and Old, Part 5. is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Sketches New and Old, Part 5. is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[Scene--The Studio.] "The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day! Oh, agony! My life is blighted. I would that I were dead.
Chapter 4 of Sketches New and Old, Part 5. is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/7 · 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.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading “Oh, agony!”
affected by blight; anything that mars or prevents growth or prosperity
From this reading “My life is blighted.”
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading “I would that I were dead.”
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “"The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!”
according to the clock
From this reading “"The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!”
the place where some action occurs
From this reading “[Scene--The Studio.]”
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading “"The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!”
workplace for the teaching or practice of an art
From this reading “[Scene--The Studio.]”
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.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading Oh, agony!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!
affected by blight; anything that mars or prevents growth or prosperity
From this reading My life is blighted.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading I would that I were dead.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I would that I were dead.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My life is blighted.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading My life is blighted.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading "The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My life is blighted.
according to the clock
From this reading "The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, agony!
the place where some action occurs
From this reading [Scene--The Studio.]
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading "The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!
workplace for the teaching or practice of an art
From this reading [Scene--The Studio.]
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I would that I were dead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [Scene--The Studio.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I would that I were dead.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "The six months will be up at two o'clock to-day!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I would that I were dead.
Chapter 4 of Sketches New and Old, Part 5. by Mark Twain holds 37 sentences, grouped into 8 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 37 sentences of Sketches New and Old, Part 5., unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Sketches New and Old, Part 5. by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 37 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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 Sketches New and Old, Part 5. by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 368 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5840 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5840, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 30 minutes of reading across 74 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sketches New and Old, Part 5. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Sketches New and Old, Part 5. 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 Sketches New and Old, Part 5., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
