Chapter 4 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CLUB GETS ADVERTISED. "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_. "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?" "I am surprised at you, Lord Silverdale. I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.
Chapter 4 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
called to public attention
From this reading “THE CLUB GETS ADVERTISED.”
plural of “candidate” — a politician who is running for public office
From this reading “"What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"”
not noticed inadvertently
From this reading “"I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.”
a stringed instrument used in American folk music; an elliptical body and a fretted fingerboard and three strings
From this reading “"I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.”
one of several distinct subdivisions of a text intended to separate ideas; the beginning is usually marked by a new indented line
From this reading “"I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.”
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading “"What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"”
a mild rebuke or criticism
From this reading “I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.”
the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself)
From this reading “"I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.”
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.
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 I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
called to public attention
From this reading THE CLUB GETS ADVERTISED.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am surprised at you, Lord Silverdale.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I am surprised at you, Lord Silverdale.
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.
plural of “candidate” — a politician who is running for public office
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading THE CLUB GETS ADVERTISED.
not noticed inadvertently
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
a stringed instrument used in American folk music; an elliptical body and a fretted fingerboard and three strings
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading THE CLUB GETS ADVERTISED.
the act of departing
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.
one of several distinct subdivisions of a text intended to separate ideas; the beginning is usually marked by a new indented line
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
a mild rebuke or criticism
From this reading I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.
the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself)
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading "I am surprised at you, Lord Silverdale.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CLUB GETS ADVERTISED.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
hard to endure
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
the act of using
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading I thought you had more wisdom than to base a reproach on a _Moon_ paragraph.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I see you have disregarded my ruling, Miss Dulcimer!" said Lord Silverdale, pointing to the paragraph in the _Moon_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What is the use of my trying the candidates if you're going to admit the plucked?"
Chapter 4 of The Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 137 sentences of The Old Maids' Club, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6063 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 505 minutes of reading across 1213 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Old Maids' Club section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Old Maids' Club 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 Old Maids' Club, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
