Chapter 4 of The Love Affairs of an Old Maid is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Love Affairs of an Old Maid is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"That is not a pertinent question," I said. "It comes quite near being the other thing. But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her. You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.' That might be said of women."
Chapter 4 of The Love Affairs of an Old Maid is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “"It comes quite near being the other thing.”
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'”
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading “You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'”
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading “But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.”
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.”
having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand
From this reading “"That is not a pertinent question," I said.”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “"That is not a pertinent question," I said.”
plural of “worm” — any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading “You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'”
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 "That is not a pertinent question," I said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading That might be said of women."
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "It comes quite near being the other thing.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading "It comes quite near being the other thing.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "That is not a pertinent question," I said.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That is not a pertinent question," I said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It comes quite near being the other thing.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
the force of workers available
From this reading You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading That might be said of women."
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading "It comes quite near being the other thing.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "That is not a pertinent question," I said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That might be said of women."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "It comes quite near being the other thing.
having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand
From this reading "That is not a pertinent question," I said.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading "That is not a pertinent question," I said.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "It comes quite near being the other thing.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That is not a pertinent question," I said.
express in words
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That is not a pertinent question," I said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It comes quite near being the other thing.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'
a special situation
From this reading "It comes quite near being the other thing.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading That might be said of women."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
plural of “worm” — any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading You know 'men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But let me tell you, Charlie Hardy, I know Louise King, and it won't kill her.
Chapter 4 of The Love Affairs of an Old Maid by Lilian Bell holds 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 461 sentences of The Love Affairs of an Old Maid, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Love Affairs of an Old Maid by Lilian Bell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 Love Affairs of an Old Maid by Lilian Bell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2223 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22047 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22047, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 185 minutes of reading across 445 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Love Affairs of an Old Maid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Love Affairs of an Old Maid 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 Love Affairs of an Old Maid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
