Chapter 4 of Vaiti of the Islands is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Vaiti of the Islands is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh. “Junia Vasilieff—what was it she did? Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company.... Junia Vasili—I have it! Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
Chapter 4 of Vaiti of the Islands is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
again but in a new or different way
From this reading “He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.”
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading “He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.”
tell false information to for fun
From this reading “Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.”
plural of “prince” — a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading “Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....”
very drunk
From this reading “He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.”
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading “He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.”
the largest Australian city located in southeastern Australia on the Tasman Sea; state capital of New South Wales; Australia's chief port
From this reading “Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.”
the chair of state for a monarch, bishop, etc.
From this reading “Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....”
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.
In this reading “He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.”
In this reading “Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....”
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 He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
again but in a new or different way
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
lacking funds
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Junia Vasilieff—what was it she did?
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Junia Vasili—I have it!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Junia Vasili—I have it!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Junia Vasilieff—what was it she did?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Junia Vasilieff—what was it she did?
tell false information to for fun
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
plural of “prince” — a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Junia Vasilieff—what was it she did?
very drunk
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
the largest Australian city located in southeastern Australia on the Tasman Sea; state capital of New South Wales; Australia's chief port
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
the chair of state for a monarch, bishop, etc.
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Junia Vasili—I have it!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Junia Vasilieff—what was it she did?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Junia Vasilieff—what was it she did?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Big princes they were, and much too close to the throne to be safe company....
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Junia Vasilieff—what was it she did?
in the company of; together with
From this reading He broke off, smashed a spider-lily bloom with his stick, and began afresh.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Yes—the end of the story was in the Sydney papers, time you were a little kid.
Chapter 4 of Vaiti of the Islands by Beatrice Grimshaw holds 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 443 sentences of Vaiti of the Islands, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Vaiti of the Islands by Beatrice Grimshaw exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Vaiti of the Islands by Beatrice Grimshaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3139 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50663 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50663, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 261 minutes of reading across 628 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vaiti of the Islands section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Vaiti of the Islands 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 Vaiti of the Islands, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
