Chapter 4 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away. Her expression was so haughty that it hurt him. It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration. He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting. He got none.
Chapter 4 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 feeling of delighted approval and liking
From this reading “It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration.”
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.”
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
From this reading “Her expression was so haughty that it hurt him.”
approval to do something
From this reading “He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.”
a town in Massachusetts founded by Pilgrims in 1620
From this reading “He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.”
-ing form of “relent” — give in, as to influence or pressure
From this reading “He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.”
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading “He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.”
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading “He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.”
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 “The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.”
In this reading “The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.”
bring forth, usually something desirable
In this reading “The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.”
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.
a feeling of delighted approval and liking
From this reading It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration.
any person at all
From this reading It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
for the reason that
From this reading It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration.
in a beseeching manner
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Her expression was so haughty that it hurt him.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He got none.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
From this reading Her expression was so haughty that it hurt him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her expression was so haughty that it hurt him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration.
be the source of pain
From this reading Her expression was so haughty that it hurt him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Her expression was so haughty that it hurt him.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration.
not one, and not any
From this reading He got none.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
approval to do something
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
a town in Massachusetts founded by Pilgrims in 1620
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
-ing form of “relent” — give in, as to influence or pressure
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Her expression was so haughty that it hurt him.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading He looked at her beseechingly, not for permission to go on studying the Plymouth Rocks, but for some shade of relenting.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It hurt him more from her than from anybody else because of his admiration.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Her expression was so haughty that it hurt him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her expression was so haughty that it hurt him.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading The fairy princess had not come up to him; she had paused some two or three yards away.
Chapter 4 of The Happy Isles by Basil King holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of The Happy Isles, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Happy Isles by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Happy Isles by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9301 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61344 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61344, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1861 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Happy Isles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Happy Isles 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 Happy Isles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
