Chapter 4 of That Affair Next Door is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of That Affair Next Door is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Not killed by the falling shelves! Why not? Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?" "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her. As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
Chapter 4 of That Affair Next Door is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 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.
past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading “As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."”
well in the past; former
From this reading “As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."”
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading “"Not killed by the falling shelves!”
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “"They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.”
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading “"Not killed by the falling shelves!”
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading “Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"”
to a sufficient degree
From this reading “Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"”
urgently needed; absolutely necessary
From this reading “Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"”
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 Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Not killed by the falling shelves!
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
well in the past; former
From this reading As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading "Not killed by the falling shelves!
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "Not killed by the falling shelves!
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not killed by the falling shelves!
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading "Not killed by the falling shelves!
and nothing more
From this reading As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
to a sufficient degree
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Not killed by the falling shelves!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
urgently needed; absolutely necessary
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Were they not sufficiently heavy, or did they not strike her in a vital place?"
at the time that
From this reading "They were heavy enough, and they struck her in a way to kill her if she had not been already dead when they fell upon her.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading As it was, they simply bruised a body from which life had already departed."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why not?
Chapter 4 of That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of That Affair Next Door, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5729 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21617 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21617, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 477 minutes of reading across 1146 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through That Affair Next Door section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of That Affair Next Door 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 That Affair Next Door, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
