Chapter 4 of The History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Couldn't keep away," said Mr. Polly gallantly. "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again." Miriam did not answer for a moment. She coloured deeply. "You _do say_ things!" she said.
Chapter 4 of The History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading “Miriam did not answer for a moment.”
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “She coloured deeply.”
plural of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading “"Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."”
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading “She coloured deeply.”
in a gallant manner
From this reading “"Couldn't keep away," said Mr. Polly gallantly.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “"Couldn't keep away," said Mr. Polly gallantly.”
a particular point in time
From this reading “Miriam did not answer for a moment.”
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “"Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."”
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 Miriam did not answer for a moment.
anew
From this reading "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."
react verbally
From this reading Miriam did not answer for a moment.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Couldn't keep away," said Mr. Polly gallantly.
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading She coloured deeply.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Couldn't keep away," said Mr. Polly gallantly.
plural of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading She coloured deeply.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Miriam did not answer for a moment.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "You _do say_ things!" she said.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Miriam did not answer for a moment.
in a gallant manner
From this reading "Couldn't keep away," said Mr. Polly gallantly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "Couldn't keep away," said Mr. Polly gallantly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Miriam did not answer for a moment.
a particular point in time
From this reading Miriam did not answer for a moment.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Couldn't keep away," said Mr. Polly gallantly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Miriam did not answer for a moment.
above and across; more than
From this reading "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Couldn't keep away," said Mr. Polly gallantly.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Couldn't keep away," said Mr. Polly gallantly.
express in words
From this reading "You _do say_ things!" she said.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She coloured deeply.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "You _do say_ things!" she said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Had to come over and see my pretty cousins again."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You _do say_ things!" she said.
Chapter 4 of The History of Mr. Polly by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 404 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 404 sentences of The History of Mr. Polly, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The History of Mr. Polly by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 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 History of Mr. Polly by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4489 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7308 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7308, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 374 minutes of reading across 898 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The History of Mr. Polly section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The History of Mr. Polly 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 History of Mr. Polly, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
