Chapter 4 of The Induna's Wife is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Induna's Wife is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But how do I know this is true, thou witch?" I said. "How can I tell it is not all a made-up story?" "What have I to gain by making it up? Have I not rather to gain by not telling it?
Chapter 4 of The Induna's Wife is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
obtain
From this reading “"What have I to gain by making it up?”
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading “"What have I to gain by making it up?”
on the contrary
From this reading “Have I not rather to gain by not telling it?”
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 “"How can I tell it is not all a made-up story?"”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “Have I not rather to gain by not telling it?”
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “"But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"”
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “"But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"”
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “"But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"”
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 “"What have I to gain by making it up?”
In this reading “"What have I to gain by making it up?”
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 "How can I tell it is not all a made-up story?"
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "How can I tell it is not all a made-up story?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "What have I to gain by making it up?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "How can I tell it is not all a made-up story?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"
obtain
From this reading "What have I to gain by making it up?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "What have I to gain by making it up?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "How can I tell it is not all a made-up story?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"
having been paved
From this reading "How can I tell it is not all a made-up story?"
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading "What have I to gain by making it up?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "How can I tell it is not all a made-up story?"
on the contrary
From this reading Have I not rather to gain by not telling it?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said.
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 "How can I tell it is not all a made-up story?"
express in words
From this reading "How can I tell it is not all a made-up story?"
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading Have I not rather to gain by not telling it?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading "But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What have I to gain by making it up?
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "What have I to gain by making it up?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What have I to gain by making it up?
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading "But how do I know this is true, thou witch?"
Chapter 4 of The Induna's Wife by Bertram Mitford holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of The Induna's Wife, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Induna's Wife by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Induna's Wife by Bertram Mitford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3774 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32927 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32927, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 314 minutes of reading across 755 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Induna's Wife section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Induna's Wife 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 Induna's Wife, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
