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The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3)
The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3)

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Richard Dowling • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3)
Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AN UNSELFISH MOTHER.
All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.
Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.
Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.
He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3)

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AN UNSELFISH MOTHER.
Line 2
All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.
/ɔːl ðə ˈpɑːrtiz ˈɡɪvən baɪ ˈmɪstər ɡreɪ æt ðə ˈmænər haʊs wɜːr menz ˈpɑːrtiz/
Line 3
Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.
Line 4
Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.
Line 5
He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.
/hiː hæd met hɜːr fɜːrst ɪn ˈlʌndən ɪn ə haʊs wer ʃiː wɑːz ˈsteɪɪŋ ɑːn ə ˈvɪzɪt wɪð frendz/

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.

junior noun US /ˈdʒuːnjər/

term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male

From this reading “Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Manor noun US /ˈmænər/

the mansion of a lord or wealthy person

From this reading “All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
men's noun US /menz/

a public toilet for men

From this reading “All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nervous adjective US /ˈnɜːrvəs/

easily agitated

From this reading “Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
parties noun US /ˈpɑːrtiz/

plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power

From this reading “All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rarely adverb US /ˈrerli/

not often

From this reading “Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seldom adverb US /ˈseldəm/

not often

From this reading “Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
staying verb US /ˈsteɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading “He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

after dinner preposition + noun

In this reading “Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.”

14,129 times in 426,211 chapters
few years adjective + noun

In this reading “Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.”

12,749 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 56

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 Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
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 All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ANdeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading AN UNSELFISH MOTHER.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
dark-eyed

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

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

Pending verification
dinnernounUS /ˈdɪnər/

the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
drawing-room

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

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

Pending verification
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GreyadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/

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

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HousenounUS /haʊs/

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

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
husbandnounUS /ˈhʌzbənd/

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
juniornounUS /ˈdʒuːnjər/

term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lightedadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪtəd/

set afire or burning

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
low-sized

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

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

Pending verification
ManornounUS /ˈmænər/

the mansion of a lord or wealthy person

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
men'snounUS /menz/

a public toilet for men

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
metverbUS /met/

inflected form of “meet” — come together

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MOTHERnounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading AN UNSELFISH MOTHER.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nervousadjectiveUS /ˈnɜːrvəs/

easily agitated

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
partiesnounUS /ˈpɑːrtiz/

plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
prettyadjectiveUS /ˈprɪti/

pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rarelyadverbUS /ˈrerli/

not often

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seldomadverbUS /ˈseldəm/

not often

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
stayingverbUS /ˈsteɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
UNSELFISHadjective

disregarding your own advantages and welfare over those of others

From this reading AN UNSELFISH MOTHER.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
visitverbUS /ˈvɪzɪt/

go to see a place, as for entertainment

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Mrs. Grey rarely or never was to be found in the drawing-room after dinner; and, indeed, the drawing-room was seldom lighted up.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading All the parties given by Mr. Grey at the Manor House were men's parties.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He had met her first in London, in a house where she was staying on a visit with friends.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Mrs. Grey was a pretty, low-sized, dark-eyed, nervous woman, a few years the junior of her husband.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 4 of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) by Richard Dowling holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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.

What does chapter 4 of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) contain?

Chapter 4 holds 183 sentences of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3), unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) by Richard Dowling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3)?

Work through the 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 37 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 Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3)

Common questions about reading The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) by Richard Dowling on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3)?

Yes. All 1913 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41552 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #41552, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) take to read?

About 159 minutes of reading across 383 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) section by section

How to work through The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3) 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 Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3)

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Weird
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sisters
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Romance
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 1 (of 3); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.