Chapter 4 of Tea-Table Talk is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Tea-Table Talk is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What is there no accounting for?” I inquired. “What is strange?” “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school. Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
Chapter 4 of Tea-Table Talk is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
a convincing explanation that reveals basic causes
From this reading ““What is there no accounting for?””
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.””
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.””
a person of German nationality
From this reading ““It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “I inquired.”
inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading ““It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.”
an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear
From this reading ““It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.”
at any time that; every time that
From this reading “Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.””
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 “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
a convincing explanation that reveals basic causes
From this reading “What is there no accounting for?”
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “What is there no accounting for?”
a person of German nationality
From this reading “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
a young female
From this reading “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I inquired.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading I inquired.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is there no accounting for?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
not any; not one
From this reading “What is there no accounting for?”
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
an educational institution
From this reading “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “What is strange?”
an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear
From this reading “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “It is a German superstition,” explained the Girton Girl, “I learnt it at school.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “What is there no accounting for?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is there no accounting for?”
at any time that; every time that
From this reading Whenever complete silence falls upon any company, it is always twenty minutes past the hour.”
Chapter 4 of Tea-Table Talk by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 215 sentences of Tea-Table Talk, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tea-Table Talk by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Tea-Table Talk by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1283 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2353 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2353, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 106 minutes of reading across 257 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tea-Table Talk section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Tea-Table Talk 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 Tea-Table Talk, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
