Chapter 4 of Tales of Two Countries is here in full — 422 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 Tales of Two Countries is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In a door-way stood a half-grown girl. Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?” The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way. Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly. She entered the first room she came to.
Chapter 4 of Tales of Two Countries is here in full — 422 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.
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading “The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.”
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “She entered the first room she came to.”
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading “Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.”
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading “The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.”
the time that has elapsed
From this reading “The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.”
displeasing to the senses
From this reading “Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.”
The chief official or governor in charge of a prison institution.
From this reading “Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?””
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 In a door-way stood a half-grown girl.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
react verbally
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?”
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She entered the first room she came to.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a door-way stood a half-grown girl.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading She entered the first room she came to.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading She entered the first room she came to.
a young female
From this reading In a door-way stood a half-grown girl.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a door-way stood a half-grown girl.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?”
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a door-way stood a half-grown girl.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?”
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?”
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?”
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?”
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She entered the first room she came to.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading In a door-way stood a half-grown girl.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The girl laughed and made some answer as she brushed close past her in the narrow door-way.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She entered the first room she came to.
displeasing to the senses
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
precisely as stated
From this reading Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?”
The chief official or governor in charge of a prison institution.
From this reading Mrs. Warden asked: “Do very poor people live in this house?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Mrs. Warden did not understand what she said, but she had an impression that it was something ugly.
Chapter 4 of Tales of Two Countries by Alexander Lange Kielland holds 422 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 422 sentences of Tales of Two Countries, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tales of Two Countries by Alexander Lange Kielland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 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 Tales of Two Countries by Alexander Lange Kielland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2100 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8663 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8663, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 175 minutes of reading across 420 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales of Two Countries section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Tales of Two Countries 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 Tales of Two Countries, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
