Chapter 4 of The Lady from Long Acre is here in full — 357 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Lady from Long Acre is here in full — 357 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward. He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent. "Sir," he said, "you are making a mistake. We do not intend any insult to this lady. We are indeed her best friends.
Chapter 4 of The Lady from Long Acre is here in full — 357 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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.
distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading “He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.”
having or showing determination and energetic pursuit of your ends
From this reading “He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.”
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.”
of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
From this reading “He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.”
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading “We do not intend any insult to this lady.”
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading “We do not intend any insult to this lady.”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.”
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.”
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 “He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.”
a story about fairies; told to amuse children
In this reading “LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.”
In this reading “LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.”
In this reading “LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.”
the one friend who is closest to you
In this reading “We are indeed her best friends.”
In this reading “He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.”
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 LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
having or showing determination and energetic pursuit of your ends
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading We do not intend any insult to this lady.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Sir," he said, "you are making a mistake.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading We are indeed her best friends.
put or send forth
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading We do not intend any insult to this lady.
the organ of sight
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading We are indeed her best friends.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading We are indeed her best friends.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading We are indeed her best friends.
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading We do not intend any insult to this lady.
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading We do not intend any insult to this lady.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading We do not intend any insult to this lady.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading "Sir," he said, "you are making a mistake.
the force of workers available
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading "Sir," he said, "you are making a mistake.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We do not intend any insult to this lady.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
a human being
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Sir," he said, "you are making a mistake.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Sir," he said, "you are making a mistake.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
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 LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
in or at that place or location
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading We do not intend any insult to this lady.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We do not intend any insult to this lady.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading LIKE A FAIRY STORY There was a short pause, and then the shorter of the two men stepped forward.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We do not intend any insult to this lady.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was an aggressive looking person with a cast in his eye, and he spoke with a slight foreign accent.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Sir," he said, "you are making a mistake.
Chapter 4 of The Lady from Long Acre by Victor Bridges holds 357 sentences, grouped into 72 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 357 sentences of The Lady from Long Acre, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Lady from Long Acre by Victor Bridges exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 357 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 Lady from Long Acre by Victor Bridges on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7307 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67078 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67078, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1462 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lady from Long Acre section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Lady from Long Acre 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 Lady from Long Acre, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
