Chapter 4 of The Babe, B.A. 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 The Babe, B.A. is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book. “Who is Mr. Selby?” “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.” “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match. That’s another original situation.”
Chapter 4 of The Babe, B.A. 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.
possessive form of “death” — the event of dying or departure from life
any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal
From this reading ““I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.”
a response of body tissues to injury or irritation; characterized by pain and swelling and redness and heat
From this reading ““I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.”
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading ““I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.”
plural of “lung” — either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading ““I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.”
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading ““I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.”
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading “That’s another original situation.””
an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading ““The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.””
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.
In this reading ““The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.””
In this reading ““The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.””
In this reading “Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book.”
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 “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading That’s another original situation.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
possessive form of “death” — the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
a response of body tissues to injury or irritation; characterized by pain and swelling and redness and heat
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Who is Mr. Selby?”
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book.
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
plural of “lung” — either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Who is Mr. Selby?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading That’s another original situation.”
above and across; more than
From this reading Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Who is Mr. Selby?”
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading That’s another original situation.”
an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
not in physical motion
From this reading Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I see that Harry lies at death’s door, having caught inflammation of the lungs in a football match.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s another original situation.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Reggie was still turning over the leaves of the book.
which person or people
From this reading “Who is Mr. Selby?”
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “The good young master with a secret sorrow, to whom all the boys open their hearts.”
Chapter 4 of The Babe, B.A. by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson 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 The Babe, B.A., unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Babe, B.A. by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson 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 The Babe, B.A. by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2991 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56986 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56986, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 249 minutes of reading across 599 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Babe, B.A. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Babe, B.A. 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 The Babe, B.A., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
