Chapter 4 of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope. She has half promised to come and look at my flowers." "What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug. "My business is with books, not women. I can understand the one, but not the other."
Chapter 4 of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.”
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading “"My business is with books, not women.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “"What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.”
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading “She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."”
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading “She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."”
a gesture involving the shoulders
From this reading “"What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.”
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “I can understand the one, but not the other."”
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “"My business is with books, not women.”
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 “I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."”
In this reading “"What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.”
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 have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading "My business is with books, not women.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading "My business is with books, not women.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I can understand the one, but not the other."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can understand the one, but not the other."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My business is with books, not women.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."
immediately following in time or order
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "My business is with books, not women.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I can understand the one, but not the other."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading I can understand the one, but not the other."
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She has half promised to come and look at my flowers."
a gesture involving the shoulders
From this reading "What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I can understand the one, but not the other."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading I can understand the one, but not the other."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What have I to do with Mrs. Fraser?" he exclaimed with a shrug.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "My business is with books, not women.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I said next day to Martelli, "You will see Mrs. Fraser this afternoon, I hope.
Chapter 4 of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful by William Clark Russell holds 304 sentences, grouped into 61 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 304 sentences of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful by William Clark Russell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 304 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful by William Clark Russell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3004 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62084 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62084, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 250 minutes of reading across 601 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful 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 Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
