Chapter 4 of The Chase of the Ruby is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Chase of the Ruby is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face. She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck. As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman. The men released each other. Mr Dumville explained.
Chapter 4 of The Chase of the Ruby is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
From this reading “As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.”
a long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur
From this reading “She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.”
in a charming manner
From this reading “She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.”
in a dainty and fastidious manner
From this reading “MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.”
third-person singular of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.”
planned and made or fashioned artistically
From this reading “MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.”
join tongue and groove, in carpentry
From this reading “She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.”
a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level
From this reading “MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.”
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.
a young female
In this reading “MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.”
In this reading “As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.”
In this reading “As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.”
In this reading “As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.”
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 MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.
a long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur
From this reading She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.
in a charming manner
From this reading She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.
a young person of either sex
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
in a dainty and fastidious manner
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr Dumville explained.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading The men released each other.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading Mr Dumville explained.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
third-person singular of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
planned and made or fashioned artistically
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
join tongue and groove, in carpentry
From this reading She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.
a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
the force of workers available
From this reading The men released each other.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The men released each other.
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading The men released each other.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
in or at that place or location
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was charmingly dressed; a big feather boa was round her neck.
in the company of; together with
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading As she stood there, in spite of the perfection of her attire, she looked more like a child than a woman.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading MR HOLLAND FAILS A Small young lady, daintily fashioned, with a child-like face.
Chapter 4 of The Chase of the Ruby by Richard Marsh holds 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 226 sentences of The Chase of the Ruby, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Chase of the Ruby by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Chase of the Ruby by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3734 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40349 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40349, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 311 minutes of reading across 747 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Chase of the Ruby section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Chase of the Ruby 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 Chase of the Ruby, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
