Chapter 4 of Sylvia Arden Decides is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Sylvia Arden Decides is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start. "She’s a bird." "Why, yes." Phil’s frank face lit up with pleasure. "Sure you don’t mind, Jackie Horner?"
Chapter 4 of Sylvia Arden Decides is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading “"Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.”
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “"She’s a bird."”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “Phil’s frank face lit up with pleasure.”
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading “"Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “Phil’s frank face lit up with pleasure.”
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading “"Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.”
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading “"Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “"Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.”
In this reading “Phil’s frank face lit up with pleasure.”
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 "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading "She’s a bird."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sure you don’t mind, Jackie Horner?"
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Phil’s frank face lit up with pleasure.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Phil’s frank face lit up with pleasure.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sure you don’t mind, Jackie Horner?"
a small worthless amount
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sure you don’t mind, Jackie Horner?"
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
provided with artificial light
From this reading Phil’s frank face lit up with pleasure.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading "Sure you don’t mind, Jackie Horner?"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading Phil’s frank face lit up with pleasure.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She’s a bird."
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Sure you don’t mind, Jackie Horner?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Phil’s frank face lit up with pleasure.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
at the time that
From this reading "Want to have a try at the wheel, old man?" asked Jack, laying an affectionate hand on Phil’s shoulder when they were ready to start.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, yes."
in the company of; together with
From this reading Phil’s frank face lit up with pleasure.
an affirmative
From this reading "Why, yes."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Sure you don’t mind, Jackie Horner?"
Chapter 4 of Sylvia Arden Decides by Margaret Piper Chalmers holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Sylvia Arden Decides, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Sylvia Arden Decides by Margaret Piper Chalmers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Sylvia Arden Decides by Margaret Piper Chalmers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4707 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48385 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48385, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sylvia Arden Decides section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Sylvia Arden Decides 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 Sylvia Arden Decides, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
