Chapter 4 of The Little Old Portrait is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Little Old Portrait is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"`The twentieth,' replied Pierre. "`And you have no news?' "`Not a word,' said Germain. "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done. A few days still--a few days perhaps we can wait.
Chapter 4 of The Little Old Portrait is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 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.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “A few days still--a few days perhaps we can wait.”
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading “"`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “"`And you have no news?'”
capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river
From this reading “"`The twentieth,' replied Pierre.”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “"`The twentieth,' replied Pierre.”
position 20 in a countable series of things
From this reading “"`The twentieth,' replied Pierre.”
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “A few days still--a few days perhaps we can wait.”
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading “"`Not a word,' said Germain.”
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 “A few days still--a few days perhaps we can wait.”
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 "`Not a word,' said Germain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "`And you have no news?'
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading A few days still--a few days perhaps we can wait.
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few days still--a few days perhaps we can wait.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "`Not a word,' said Germain.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "`And you have no news?'
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
information about recent and important events
From this reading "`And you have no news?'
not any; not one
From this reading "`And you have no news?'
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "`Not a word,' said Germain.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
by chance
From this reading A few days still--a few days perhaps we can wait.
capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river
From this reading "`The twentieth,' replied Pierre.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "`The twentieth,' replied Pierre.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "`Not a word,' said Germain.
not in physical motion
From this reading A few days still--a few days perhaps we can wait.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "`The twentieth,' replied Pierre.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
position 20 in a countable series of things
From this reading "`The twentieth,' replied Pierre.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading A few days still--a few days perhaps we can wait.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading A few days still--a few days perhaps we can wait.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "`Then,' said old Ludovic, `it is for you to decide what can be done.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "`Not a word,' said Germain.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "`And you have no news?'
Chapter 4 of The Little Old Portrait by Mrs. Molesworth holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of The Little Old Portrait, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Little Old Portrait by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Little Old Portrait by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2168 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43132 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43132, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 180 minutes of reading across 434 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Little Old Portrait section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Little Old Portrait 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 Little Old Portrait, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
