Chapter 4 of South Sea Tales is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of South Sea Tales is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting. Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife. It was her voice that had betrayed them. “And since when has Mapuhi, my son, denied his old mother?” the voice went on. “No, no, I have not--Mapuhi has not denied you,” he cried.
Chapter 4 of South Sea Tales is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
deposited or arranged in horizontal layers
From this reading ““Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.”
past form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading “It was her voice that had betrayed them.”
inflected form of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict
From this reading ““And since when has Mapuhi, my son, denied his old mother?” the voice went on.”
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife.”
a covering of coarse fabric (usually of straw or hemp)
From this reading ““Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.”
a mild rebuke or criticism
From this reading “Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife.”
a male human offspring
From this reading ““And since when has Mapuhi, my son, denied his old mother?” the voice went on.”
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading ““Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.”
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 “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife.
deposited or arranged in horizontal layers
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
past form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading It was her voice that had betrayed them.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “No, no, I have not--Mapuhi has not denied you,” he cried.
inflected form of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict
From this reading “And since when has Mapuhi, my son, denied his old mother?” the voice went on.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was her voice that had betrayed them.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “No, no, I have not--Mapuhi has not denied you,” he cried.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “No, no, I have not--Mapuhi has not denied you,” he cried.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was her voice that had betrayed them.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “No, no, I have not--Mapuhi has not denied you,” he cried.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was her voice that had betrayed them.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife.
a covering of coarse fabric (usually of straw or hemp)
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “And since when has Mapuhi, my son, denied his old mother?” the voice went on.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “And since when has Mapuhi, my son, denied his old mother?” the voice went on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, no, I have not--Mapuhi has not denied you,” he cried.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “No, no, I have not--Mapuhi has not denied you,” he cried.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “And since when has Mapuhi, my son, denied his old mother?” the voice went on.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “And since when has Mapuhi, my son, denied his old mother?” the voice went on.
a mild rebuke or criticism
From this reading Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
a male human offspring
From this reading “And since when has Mapuhi, my son, denied his old mother?” the voice went on.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was her voice that had betrayed them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was her voice that had betrayed them.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was her voice that had betrayed them.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “And since when has Mapuhi, my son, denied his old mother?” the voice went on.
at the time that
From this reading “Since when has Tefara bedded in a strange house?” came Nauri's voice through the matting.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Mapuhi looked fear and reproach at his wife.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “No, no, I have not--Mapuhi has not denied you,” he cried.
Chapter 4 of South Sea Tales by Jack London holds 201 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 201 sentences of South Sea Tales, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of South Sea Tales by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 South Sea Tales by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3580 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1208 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1208, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 298 minutes of reading across 716 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through South Sea Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of South Sea Tales 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 South Sea Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
