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The Roadmender
The Roadmender

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Roadmender is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/12 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.
The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.
The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.
It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.
They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Roadmender

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Roadmender is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.
Line 2
The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.
Line 3
The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.
Line 4
It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.
Line 5
They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.
/ðeɪ felt noʊ ɪˈmoʊʃən ðɪs ˈhʌzbənd ənd waɪf ˈoʊnli ə dʌl sens ʌv ˈfɪliəl ˈduːti dʌn riˌspektəˈbɪlɪti prəˈzɜːrvd ənd əˈbʌv ənd θruː ɔːl ðə ˈbɪtər bʌt ˈnesəseri ˈkaʊntɪŋ ðə kɑːst ʌv ðɪs læst bed/

Learner Dictionary

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.

churchyard noun US /ˈtʃɜːrtʃjɑːrd/

the yard associated with a church

From this reading “It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.”

coffin noun US /ˈkɔːfɪn/

box in which a corpse is buried or cremated

From this reading “The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.”

counting noun US /ˈkaʊntɪŋ/

the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order

From this reading “They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.”

depressed adjective US /dɪˈprest/

lower than previously

From this reading “The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.”

filial adjective US /ˈfɪliəl/

designating the generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation

From this reading “They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.”

respectability noun US /riˌspektəˈbɪlɪti/

honorableness by virtue of being respectable and having a good reputation

From this reading “They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.”

stained adjective US /steɪnd/

marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter

From this reading “The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.”

unsightly adjective US /ənˈsaɪtli/

unpleasant to look at

From this reading “The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.”

All words in this reading · 102

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

agenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

bareadjectiveUS /ber/

completely unclothed

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

bitteradjectiveUS /ˈbɪtər/

marked by strong resentment or cynicism

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

bringingnounUS /ˈbrɪŋɪŋ/

the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

broken-kneed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

churchyardnounUS /ˈtʃɜːrtʃjɑːrd/

the yard associated with a church

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

coffinnounUS /ˈkɔːfɪn/

box in which a corpse is buried or cremated

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

costnounUS /kɑːst/

the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

countingnounUS /ˈkaʊntɪŋ/

the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

dealverbUS /diːl/

act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

depressedadjectiveUS /dɪˈprest/

lower than previously

From this reading The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

drovenounUS /droʊv/

a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together

From this reading The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.

dulladjectiveUS /dʌl/

lacking in liveliness or animation

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

dutynounUS /ˈduːti/

the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

emotionnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃən/

any strong feeling

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

filialadjectiveUS /ˈfɪliəl/

designating the generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

flea-bittenadjective

worn and broken down by hard use

From this reading The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.

floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

funeralnounUS /ˈfjuːnərəl/

a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

gravenounUS /ɡreɪv/

death of a person

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

greyadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

From this reading The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

horsenounUS /hɔːrs/

solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

From this reading The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

husbandnounUS /ˈhʌzbənd/

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

lieverbUS /laɪ/

be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

livedverbUS /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

market-cart

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.

NnounUS /en/

a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

necessaryadjectiveUS /ˈnesəseri/

absolutely essential

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

patheticadjectiveUS /pəˈθetɪk/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

pauper's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

preservedadjectiveUS /prəˈzɜːrvd/

prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

quaintadjectiveUS /kweɪnt/

strange in an interesting or pleasing way

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/

characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

respectabilitynounUS /riˌspektəˈbɪlɪti/

honorableness by virtue of being respectable and having a good reputation

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

roughadjectiveUS /rʌf/

having or caused by an irregular surface

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

sacrificenounUS /ˈsækrəfaɪs/

the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

sepulturenoun

the ritual placing of a corpse in a grave

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

solemnities

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

sparedverbUS /sperd/

past form of “spare” — refrain from harming

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

stainedadjectiveUS /steɪnd/

marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

steadyingadjective

causing to become steady

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

terrornounUS /ˈterər/

an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading They felt no emotion, this husband and wife, only a dull sense of filial duty done, respectability preserved; and above and through all, the bitter but necessary counting the cost of this last bed.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

ungarnished

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

unsightlyadjectiveUS /ənˈsaɪtli/

unpleasant to look at

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The husband drove; and the most depressed of the three was the horse, a broken-kneed, flea-bitten grey.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading It was pathetic, this bringing home in death of the old father whom, while he lived, they had been too poor to house; it was at no small sacrifice that they had spared him that terror of old age, a pauper’s grave, and brought him to lie by his wife in our quiet churchyard.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading The rough, ungarnished coffin of stained deal lay bare and unsightly on the floor of an old market-cart; a woman sat beside, steadying it with her feet.

work-house

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

YESTERDAYnounUS /ˈjestərdeɪ/

the day immediately before today

From this reading YESTERDAY a funeral passed, from the work-house at N—, a quaint sepulture without solemnities.

Chapter 4 of The Roadmender by Michael Fairless holds 63 sentences, grouped into 13 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 4 of The Roadmender contain?

Chapter 4 holds 63 sentences of The Roadmender, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Roadmender by Michael Fairless exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of The Roadmender?

Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 13 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Roadmender

Common questions about reading The Roadmender by Michael Fairless on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Roadmender?

Yes. All 859 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #705 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Roadmender is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #705, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Roadmender take to read?

About 71 minutes of reading across 172 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Roadmender section by section

How to work through The Roadmender section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Roadmender to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Roadmender

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Roadmender, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Attained
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Roadmender; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ideal
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Roadmender; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Roadmender
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Roadmender; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stonebreaker
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Roadmender; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.