Chapter 4 of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it. Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back." The shabby man looked up quickly. "I had a look at it to-day. Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
Chapter 4 of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “"More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.”
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading “"More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.”
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading “"More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.”
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading “Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."”
plural of “lead” — an advantage held by a competitor in a race
From this reading “Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."”
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading “The shabby man looked up quickly.”
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading “Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."”
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading “"More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.”
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 "More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading "More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I had a look at it to-day.
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading "More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I had a look at it to-day.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading "More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
plural of “lead” — an advantage held by a competitor in a race
From this reading Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The shabby man looked up quickly.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The shabby man looked up quickly.
street lined with buildings that were originally private stables but have been remodeled as dwellings
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
with speed
From this reading The shabby man looked up quickly.
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading The shabby man looked up quickly.
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Look here, my lads, there's a stable to let in the mews at the back."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I had a look at it to-day.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The shabby man looked up quickly.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading "More ways of killing a cat than by hanging it.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Any one could easily get to that window looking on the leads."
Chapter 4 of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled by George Manville Fenn holds 485 sentences, grouped into 97 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 485 sentences of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 485 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 Dark House: A Knot Unravelled by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2380 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25637 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25637, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 198 minutes of reading across 476 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Dark House: A Knot Unravelled 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 Dark House: A Knot Unravelled, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
