Chapter 4 of The Unclassed is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Unclassed is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh. And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him. It was from a hospital in the north-west of London. "Your daughter is dying, and wishes to see you. Please come at once."
Chapter 4 of The Unclassed is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.”
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.”
a health facility where patients receive treatment
From this reading “It was from a hospital in the north-west of London.”
a record in which commercial accounts are recorded
From this reading “And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.”
not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances
From this reading “POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.”
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading “And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.”
plural of “possibility” — a future prospect or potential
From this reading “POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.”
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 And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Please come at once."
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Please come at once."
a female human offspring
From this reading "Your daughter is dying, and wishes to see you.
past form of “deliver” — deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading "Your daughter is dying, and wishes to see you.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was from a hospital in the north-west of London.
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
a health facility where patients receive treatment
From this reading It was from a hospital in the north-west of London.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was from a hospital in the north-west of London.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Your daughter is dying, and wishes to see you.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was from a hospital in the north-west of London.
a record in which commercial accounts are recorded
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading It was from a hospital in the north-west of London.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
a form of address for a man
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
to, toward, or in the northwest
From this reading It was from a hospital in the north-west of London.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
on one occasion
From this reading Please come at once."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Please come at once."
plural of “possibility” — a future prospect or potential
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Your daughter is dying, and wishes to see you.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading "Your daughter is dying, and wishes to see you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And, one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading POSSIBILITIES Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your daughter is dying, and wishes to see you.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your daughter is dying, and wishes to see you.
Chapter 4 of The Unclassed by George Gissing holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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.
Chapter 4 holds 103 sentences of The Unclassed, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Unclassed by George Gissing exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Unclassed by George Gissing on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7685 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4305 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4305, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1537 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Unclassed section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Unclassed 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 Unclassed, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
