Chapter 4 of The Gate of the Giant Scissors is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Gate of the Giant Scissors is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A LETTER AND A MEETING. Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival. "Dear Jack," it began. "You and Mary will each get a letter this week. Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
Chapter 4 of The Gate of the Giant Scissors is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading “Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.”
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.”
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading “Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.”
moving with great haste
From this reading “Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.”
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading “Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.”
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 A LETTER AND A MEETING.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A LETTER AND A MEETING.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Dear Jack," it began.
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
dearly loved
From this reading "Dear Jack," it began.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading "You and Mary will each get a letter this week.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You and Mary will each get a letter this week.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
moving with great haste
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Dear Jack," it began.
a small worthless amount
From this reading "Dear Jack," it began.
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading A LETTER AND A MEETING.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading "You and Mary will each get a letter this week.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading A LETTER AND A MEETING.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "You and Mary will each get a letter this week.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Hers is the fairy tale that Cousin Kate told me, about an old gate near here.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Nearly a week later Joyce sat at her desk, hurrying to finish a letter before the postman's arrival.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You and Mary will each get a letter this week.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You and Mary will each get a letter this week.
Chapter 4 of The Gate of the Giant Scissors by Annie F. (Annie Fellows) Johnston holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 132 sentences of The Gate of the Giant Scissors, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Gate of the Giant Scissors by Annie F. (Annie Fellows) Johnston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Gate of the Giant Scissors by Annie F. (Annie Fellows) Johnston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gate of the Giant Scissors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Gate of the Giant Scissors 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 Gate of the Giant Scissors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
