Chapter 4 of The Childerbridge Mystery is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Childerbridge Mystery is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made. "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror. "For God's sake, tell me what it means?" "I don't know myself, sir," the man replied. "It's too terrible for all words.
Chapter 4 of The Childerbridge Mystery is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
give a description of
From this reading “It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.”
the act of discovering something
From this reading “It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.”
in harmony with the spirit of particular persons or occasion
From this reading “It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.”
possessive form of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “"For God's sake, tell me what it means?"”
intense and profound fear
From this reading “"What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.”
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading “It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.”
United States civil rights leader (1901-1981)
From this reading “"What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.”
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 “It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.”
In this reading “"What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.”
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 "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.
(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 "It's too terrible for all words.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
give a description of
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
the act of discovering something
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know myself, sir," the man replied.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
in harmony with the spirit of particular persons or occasion
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "For God's sake, tell me what it means?"
possessive form of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "For God's sake, tell me what it means?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
intense and profound fear
From this reading "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know myself, sir," the man replied.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's too terrible for all words.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know myself, sir," the man replied.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "I don't know myself, sir," the man replied.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "For God's sake, tell me what it means?"
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading "For God's sake, tell me what it means?"
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I don't know myself, sir," the man replied.
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I don't know myself, sir," the man replied.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading "For God's sake, tell me what it means?"
term of address for a man
From this reading "I don't know myself, sir," the man replied.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.
express in words
From this reading "For God's sake, tell me what it means?"
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "It's too terrible for all words.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.
United States civil rights leader (1901-1981)
From this reading "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What does it mean, Wilkins?" he asked in a voice surcharged with horror.
the words that are spoken
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would be almost impossible to describe in fitting words the effect produced upon James Standerton, by the terrible discovery he had made.
Chapter 4 of The Childerbridge Mystery by Guy Boothby holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 208 sentences of The Childerbridge Mystery, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Childerbridge Mystery by Guy Boothby exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Childerbridge Mystery by Guy Boothby on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2691 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35277 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35277, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 224 minutes of reading across 539 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Childerbridge Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Childerbridge Mystery 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 Childerbridge Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
