Chapter 4 of The Little Schoolmaster Mark is here in full — 405 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 Little Schoolmaster Mark is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VII. FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner. He was too good an artist not to prepare the way. Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more. He sent for the old man.
Chapter 4 of The Little Schoolmaster Mark is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 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 performance of a part or role in a drama
From this reading “FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.”
a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading “He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.”
-ing form of “blunder” — commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake
From this reading “FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.”
a flaw or weak point
From this reading “FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.”
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more.”
make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.”
determined
From this reading “Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more.”
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.
anew
In this reading “Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more.”
a man who is very old
In this reading “He sent for the old man.”
In this reading “He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.”
In this reading “He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.”
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 FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
the performance of a part or role in a drama
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.
-ing form of “blunder” — commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more.
characterized by great determination
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He sent for the old man.
a young female
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
lacking aesthetic sensibility
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He sent for the old man.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more.
not any; not one
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
on one occasion
From this reading Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
determined
From this reading Having failed with Carricchio, he resolved to try the Maestro once more.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading He sent for the old man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading VII.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He was too good an artist not to prepare the way.
in the company of; together with
From this reading FAILING with the old Arlecchino, the Prince determined to try his own influence with the girl; but he had no intention of acting in a blundering and inartistic manner.
Chapter 4 of The Little Schoolmaster Mark by J. H. (Joseph Henry) Shorthouse holds 405 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 405 sentences of The Little Schoolmaster Mark, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Little Schoolmaster Mark by J. H. (Joseph Henry) Shorthouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 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 Little Schoolmaster Mark by J. H. (Joseph Henry) Shorthouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1607 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33401 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33401, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 133 minutes of reading across 322 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Little Schoolmaster Mark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Little Schoolmaster Mark 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 Schoolmaster Mark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
