Chapter 4 of The House of Torchy is here in full — 263 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The House of Torchy is here in full — 263 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SWITCHING ARTS ON LEON Oh, sure! We're coming along grand. Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time? No. We've hardly displayed any before-breakfast dispositions yet. Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
Chapter 4 of The House of Torchy is here in full — 263 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
call attention to
From this reading “Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.”
place limits on (extent or amount or access)
From this reading “Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.”
continuing in time or space without interruption
From this reading “Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.”
speak softly or lovingly
From this reading “Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.”
plural of “disposition” — your usual mood
From this reading “No. We've hardly displayed any before-breakfast dispositions yet.”
a historical area and former kingdom in northwestern Spain
From this reading “SWITCHING ARTS ON LEON Oh, sure!”
the act of changing one thing or position for another
From this reading “SWITCHING ARTS ON LEON Oh, sure!”
a listing of the words used in some enterprise
From this reading “Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.”
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.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
call attention to
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading We're coming along grand.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading No. We've hardly displayed any before-breakfast dispositions yet.
studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills)
From this reading SWITCHING ARTS ON LEON Oh, sure!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No. We've hardly displayed any before-breakfast dispositions yet.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading We're coming along grand.
place limits on (extent or amount or access)
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
continuing in time or space without interruption
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
speak softly or lovingly
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
past form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent
From this reading No. We've hardly displayed any before-breakfast dispositions yet.
plural of “disposition” — your usual mood
From this reading No. We've hardly displayed any before-breakfast dispositions yet.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading We're coming along grand.
only a very short time before
From this reading No. We've hardly displayed any before-breakfast dispositions yet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
a historical area and former kingdom in northwestern Spain
From this reading SWITCHING ARTS ON LEON Oh, sure!
not any; not one
From this reading No. We've hardly displayed any before-breakfast dispositions yet.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading SWITCHING ARTS ON LEON Oh, sure!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading SWITCHING ARTS ON LEON Oh, sure!
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading SWITCHING ARTS ON LEON Oh, sure!
the act of changing one thing or position for another
From this reading SWITCHING ARTS ON LEON Oh, sure!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
a listing of the words used in some enterprise
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Not that we confine ourselves to the coo vocabulary, or advertise any continuous turtle-dove act.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We're coming along grand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No. We've hardly displayed any before-breakfast dispositions yet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
but in spite of that
From this reading No. We've hardly displayed any before-breakfast dispositions yet.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Did you think we'd be heavin' the blue willow-ware at each other by this time?
Chapter 4 of The House of Torchy by Sewell Ford holds 263 sentences, grouped into 53 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 263 sentences of The House of Torchy, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The House of Torchy by Sewell Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 263 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 House of Torchy by Sewell Ford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5426 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21882 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21882, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 452 minutes of reading across 1086 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House of Torchy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The House of Torchy 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 House of Torchy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
