Chapter 4 of The Dragon in Shallow Waters is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Dragon in Shallow Waters is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.” “I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books. I wish you lived in the house, Mr. Calthorpe.” “I wish I did, Nan.” But on the whole, he thought, he was glad he didn’t.
Chapter 4 of The Dragon in Shallow Waters is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading ““I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “But on the whole, he thought, he was glad he didn’t.”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading ““Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.””
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “I wish you lived in the house, Mr. Calthorpe.””
United States anthropologist who studied the Seneca (1818-1881)
From this reading ““Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.””
your grandmother
From this reading ““I wish I did, Nan.””
express in speech
From this reading ““I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.”
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “I wish you lived in the house, Mr. Calthorpe.””
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.
live in the house where one works
In this reading “I wish you lived in the house, Mr. Calthorpe.””
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading “I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading “I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But on the whole, he thought, he was glad he didn’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wish you lived in the house, Mr. Calthorpe.”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “I wish I did, Nan.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But on the whole, he thought, he was glad he didn’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading But on the whole, he thought, he was glad he didn’t.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But on the whole, he thought, he was glad he didn’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading I wish you lived in the house, Mr. Calthorpe.”
United States anthropologist who studied the Seneca (1818-1881)
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading I wish you lived in the house, Mr. Calthorpe.”
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.
your grandmother
From this reading “I wish I did, Nan.”
not any; not one
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But on the whole, he thought, he was glad he didn’t.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
express in speech
From this reading “I don’t speak to him much, he’s always in his books.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading But on the whole, he thought, he was glad he didn’t.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But on the whole, he thought, he was glad he didn’t.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading But on the whole, he thought, he was glad he didn’t.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading I wish you lived in the house, Mr. Calthorpe.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Is Morgan no help to you? he’s something young about the house.”
Chapter 4 of The Dragon in Shallow Waters by V. (Victoria) Sackville-West holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 433 sentences of The Dragon in Shallow Waters, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Dragon in Shallow Waters by V. (Victoria) Sackville-West exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Dragon in Shallow Waters by V. (Victoria) Sackville-West on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3104 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59806 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59806, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 621 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dragon in Shallow Waters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Dragon in Shallow Waters 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 Dragon in Shallow Waters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
