Chapter 4 of The Children of the Castle is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Children of the Castle is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm very glad you did put him down," she said. "All the same--" then she hesitated. "Do you know who he is?" asked Bertrand. "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis. Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
Chapter 4 of The Children of the Castle is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading “Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.”
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading “Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “"I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.”
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “"All the same--" then she hesitated.”
common Old World thrush noted for its song
From this reading “"He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.”
superlative of “nice” — pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “"He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.”
past form of “scowl” — frown with displeasure
From this reading “Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.”
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.
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 Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
(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 "All the same--" then she hesitated.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Do you know who he is?" asked Bertrand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Do you know who he is?" asked Bertrand.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.
a youthful male person
From this reading "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you know who he is?" asked Bertrand.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Do you know who he is?" asked Bertrand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading "All the same--" then she hesitated.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Do you know who he is?" asked Bertrand.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Do you know who he is?" asked Bertrand.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.
common Old World thrush noted for its song
From this reading "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
superlative of “nice” — pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.
Identical; not different.
From this reading "All the same--" then she hesitated.
past form of “scowl” — frown with displeasure
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "All the same--" then she hesitated.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "All the same--" then she hesitated.
precisely as stated
From this reading "I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Bertrand scowled at her and muttered something, of which "a dirty fisher-boy," was all that was audible.
which person or people
From this reading "Do you know who he is?" asked Bertrand.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "He's the best and nicest and cleverest boy in all the world," said little Mavis.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I'm very glad you did put him down," she said.
Chapter 4 of The Children of the Castle by Mrs. Molesworth holds 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 455 sentences of The Children of the Castle, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Children of the Castle by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Children of the Castle by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2729 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43126 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43126, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 227 minutes of reading across 546 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Children of the Castle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Children of the Castle 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 Children of the Castle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
