Chapter 4 of The Dust Flower is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Dust Flower is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Nao!" The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation. It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast. She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it. Jane, the waitress, was the next to speak.
Chapter 4 of The Dust Flower is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
a native of the east end of London
From this reading “The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.”
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading “It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.”
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.”
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading “The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.”
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading “She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.”
characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features
From this reading “The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.”
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading “It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.”
a woman waiter
From this reading “Jane, the waitress, was the next to speak.”
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 She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
in addition
From this reading The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
brought into existence
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
a native of the east end of London
From this reading The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jane, the waitress, was the next to speak.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
and nothing more
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nao!"
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features
From this reading The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Jane, the waitress, was the next to speak.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
express in speech
From this reading Jane, the waitress, was the next to speak.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
a woman waiter
From this reading Jane, the waitress, was the next to speak.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The strong cockney negative was also an exclamation.
which person or people
From this reading It came from Mrs. Courage, the cook-housekeeper, who stood near the kitchen range making the coffee for breakfast.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading She was a woman who looked her name, born not merely to do battle, but to enjoy being in the midst of it.
Chapter 4 of The Dust Flower by Basil King holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 176 sentences of The Dust Flower, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Dust Flower by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Dust Flower by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6311 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28590 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28590, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 525 minutes of reading across 1263 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dust Flower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Dust Flower 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 Dust Flower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
