Chapter 4 of Those Extraordinary Twins is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Those Extraordinary Twins is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down. The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement. She said: “Ah, they're a boon, ma, just a boon! Don't you think so?” “Laws, I hope so, I don't know.”
Chapter 4 of Those Extraordinary Twins is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
possessing life
From this reading “The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.”
a desirable state
From this reading “She said: “Ah, they're a boon, ma, just a boon!”
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading “The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.”
the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit
From this reading ““Laws, I hope so, I don't know.””
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading “The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.”
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading “The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.”
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading “The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.”
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 She said: “Ah, they're a boon, ma, just a boon!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She said: “Ah, they're a boon, ma, just a boon!
possessing life
From this reading The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.
a desirable state
From this reading She said: “Ah, they're a boon, ma, just a boon!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
a female human offspring
From this reading The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you think so?”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.
a social unit living together
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “Laws, I hope so, I don't know.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Laws, I hope so, I don't know.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
and nothing more
From this reading She said: “Ah, they're a boon, ma, just a boon!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Laws, I hope so, I don't know.”
the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit
From this reading “Laws, I hope so, I don't know.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading She said: “Ah, they're a boon, ma, just a boon!
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She said: “Ah, they're a boon, ma, just a boon!
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She said: “Ah, they're a boon, ma, just a boon!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Don't you think so?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She said: “Ah, they're a boon, ma, just a boon!
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Don't you think so?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading The family sat in the breakfast-room waiting for the twins to come down.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The widow was quiet, the daughter was alive with happy excitement.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Don't you think so?”
Chapter 4 of Those Extraordinary Twins by Mark Twain holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 148 sentences of Those Extraordinary Twins, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Those Extraordinary Twins by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Those Extraordinary Twins by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1195 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3185 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3185, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 99 minutes of reading across 239 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Those Extraordinary Twins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Those Extraordinary Twins 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 Those Extraordinary Twins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
