Chapter 4 of Victorian Short Stories is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Victorian Short Stories is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things. 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes. 'Not worse than mine?' 'Well--that depends upon how you look at it. Yours had to do with the past alone; and I don't mind it.
Chapter 4 of Victorian Short Stories is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.”
a person whose duty is to throw troublemakers out of a bar or public meeting
From this reading “'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.”
third-person singular of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading “'Well--that depends upon how you look at it.”
the time that has elapsed
From this reading “Yours had to do with the past alone; and I don't mind it.”
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading “'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.”
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.”
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading “'Not worse than mine?'”
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading “'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.”
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 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Yours had to do with the past alone; and I don't mind it.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading 'Well--that depends upon how you look at it.
a person whose duty is to throw troublemakers out of a bar or public meeting
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
third-person singular of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading 'Well--that depends upon how you look at it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Yours had to do with the past alone; and I don't mind it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yours had to do with the past alone; and I don't mind it.
opinion or judgment
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Yours had to do with the past alone; and I don't mind it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Well--that depends upon how you look at it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Yours had to do with the past alone; and I don't mind it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading 'Well--that depends upon how you look at it.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Yours had to do with the past alone; and I don't mind it.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading 'Not worse than mine?'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Yours had to do with the past alone; and I don't mind it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading 'Not worse than mine?'
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 'Well--that depends upon how you look at it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yours had to do with the past alone; and I don't mind it.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading 'Well--that depends upon how you look at it.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading 'Well--it is a bouncer; mine is a bouncer!' said he, looking on the ground and wiping his eyes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading 'Not worse than mine?'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Well--that depends upon how you look at it.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading 'What is yours--what is it?' she asked, with altogether a new view of things.
Chapter 4 of Victorian Short Stories by Elizabeth Cleghorn [Contributor] Gaskell holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of Victorian Short Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Victorian Short Stories by Elizabeth Cleghorn [Contributor] Gaskell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Victorian Short Stories by Elizabeth Cleghorn [Contributor] Gaskell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2026 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15252 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15252, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 168 minutes of reading across 406 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Victorian Short Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Victorian Short Stories 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 Victorian Short Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
