Chapter 4 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better." "No doubt," said Mr Mervyn, smiling. "By the way, Mrs Trelyan, how old are you?" "Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are. Here's somebody else coming."
Chapter 4 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “"N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."”
take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading “"Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.”
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading “"No doubt," said Mr Mervyn, smiling.”
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “"Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.”
being ten more than eighty
From this reading “"Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “"No doubt," said Mr Mervyn, smiling.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “Here's somebody else coming."”
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading “"Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.”
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.
your own wife
In this reading “"N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."”
In this reading “"Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.”
introducing a different topic
In this reading “"By the way, Mrs Trelyan, how old are you?"”
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 "Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "By the way, Mrs Trelyan, how old are you?"
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading "Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "By the way, Mrs Trelyan, how old are you?"
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Here's somebody else coming."
dearly loved
From this reading "Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading "No doubt," said Mr Mervyn, smiling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here's somebody else coming."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here's somebody else coming."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "By the way, Mrs Trelyan, how old are you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No doubt," said Mr Mervyn, smiling.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading "Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "No doubt," said Mr Mervyn, smiling.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "By the way, Mrs Trelyan, how old are you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.
being ten more than eighty
From this reading "Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.
not any; not one
From this reading "No doubt," said Mr Mervyn, smiling.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading "No doubt," said Mr Mervyn, smiling.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Here's somebody else coming."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "N-n-no, it's not bad," said the old lady, "but I've had better."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "By the way, Mrs Trelyan, how old are you?"
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading "Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "By the way, Mrs Trelyan, how old are you?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Ninety next month," said the old lady; "and--dear, dear, what a bother visitors are.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "By the way, Mrs Trelyan, how old are you?"
Chapter 4 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32929 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32929, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 537 minutes of reading across 1290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
