Chapter 4 of Umé San in Japan is here in full — 102 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 Umé San in Japan is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?" "Yes, Tei." "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?" "No indeed, Tei, and I would not stay shut up. I would find some way out and would run away."
Chapter 4 of Umé San in Japan is here in full — 102 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.
plural of “buy” — an advantageous purchase
From this reading “TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"”
a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading “TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"”
plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading “"Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"”
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"”
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “I would find some way out and would run away."”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “"Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “"Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"”
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"”
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.
flee; take to one's heels; cut and run
In this reading “I would find some way out and would run away."”
refuse to talk or stop talking; fall silent
In this reading “"Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"”
a prolonged period of time
In this reading “TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"”
In this reading “TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"”
In this reading “I would find some way out and would run away."”
In this reading “I would find some way out and would run away."”
In this reading “"Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"”
In this reading “"Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"”
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 TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "No indeed, Tei, and I would not stay shut up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I would find some way out and would run away."
plural of “buy” — an advantageous purchase
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
absence of light or illumination
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading I would find some way out and would run away."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No indeed, Tei, and I would not stay shut up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "No indeed, Tei, and I would not stay shut up.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
not any; not one
From this reading "No indeed, Tei, and I would not stay shut up.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I would find some way out and would run away."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading I would find some way out and would run away."
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I would find some way out and would run away."
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
precisely as stated
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading TEI BUYS A DOLL "A whole year of months is a very long time, is it not, Umé?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, Tei."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Would you like to stay shut up in a dark room as long as that, the way the dolls do?"
Chapter 4 of Umé San in Japan by Etta Blaisdell McDonald holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 102 sentences of Umé San in Japan, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Umé San in Japan by Etta Blaisdell McDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 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 Umé San in Japan by Etta Blaisdell McDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1437 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58378 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58378, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 119 minutes of reading across 288 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Umé San in Japan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Umé San in Japan 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 Umé San in Japan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
