Chapter 4 of The best short stories of 1915, and is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The best short stories of 1915, and is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But it was you who dreamed," she would answer. "Wait for the spring, husband mine. Wait." It was strange how the spring came to the Beresina that year. It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
Chapter 4 of The best short stories of 1915, and is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading “"But it was you who dreamed," she would answer.”
plural of “flank” — the side of military or naval formation
From this reading “It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.”
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading “It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.”
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading “It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.”
(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat
From this reading “It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.”
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.”
the season of growth
From this reading “"Wait for the spring, husband mine.”
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading “It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.”
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.
react verbally
From this reading "But it was you who dreamed," she would answer.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was strange how the spring came to the Beresina that year.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But it was you who dreamed," she would answer.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It was strange how the spring came to the Beresina that year.
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading "But it was you who dreamed," she would answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
plural of “flank” — the side of military or naval formation
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Wait for the spring, husband mine.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was strange how the spring came to the Beresina that year.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading "Wait for the spring, husband mine.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "But it was you who dreamed," she would answer.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Wait for the spring, husband mine.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But it was you who dreamed," she would answer.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
the season of growth
From this reading "Wait for the spring, husband mine.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading It was strange how the spring came to the Beresina that year.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was strange how the spring came to the Beresina that year.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Wait for the spring, husband mine.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was strange how the spring came to the Beresina that year.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "Wait for the spring, husband mine.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But it was you who dreamed," she would answer.
which person or people
From this reading "But it was you who dreamed," she would answer.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading It sprang upon the flanks of winter before the Ice King had given the order to retreat into the fastnesses of the north.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "But it was you who dreamed," she would answer.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading It was strange how the spring came to the Beresina that year.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But it was you who dreamed," she would answer.
Chapter 4 of The best short stories of 1915, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien holds 382 sentences, grouped into 77 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 382 sentences of The best short stories of 1915, and, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The best short stories of 1915, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 382 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 best short stories of 1915, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20303 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20303, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The best short stories of 1915, and section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The best short stories of 1915, and 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 best short stories of 1915, and, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
