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Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues
Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues
Context Illustration Reading 1/64 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.
She was determined to select the table decorations herself.
Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.
We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.
Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/64 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.
Line 2
She was determined to select the table decorations herself.
/ʃiː wɑːz dɪˈtɜːrmənd tuː səˈlekt ðə ˈteɪbəl ˌdekərˈeɪʃənz hərˈself/
Line 3
Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.
Line 4
We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.
Line 5
Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.
/ˈɔːrkədz ənd əˈmerəkən ˈbjuːti ˈroʊzɪz əˈpiːld tuː hɜːr ˈstrɔːŋli ənd ʃiː peɪd noʊ əˈtenʃən tuː les ɪkˈspensɪv bluːmz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Anna noun US /ˈænə/

a former copper coin of Pakistan and India

From this reading “Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.”

appealed verb US /əˈpiːld/

past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review

From this reading “Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.”

blooms noun US /bluːmz/

plural of “bloom” — the organic process of bearing flowers

From this reading “Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.”

coveted adjective US /ˈkʌvətɪd/

greatly desired

From this reading “We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.”

decorations noun US /ˌdekərˈeɪʃənz/

plural of “decoration” — something used to beautify

From this reading “She was determined to select the table decorations herself.”

expensive adjective US /ɪkˈspensɪv/

high in price or charging high prices

From this reading “Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.”

Orchids noun US /ˈɔːrkədz/

plural of “orchid” — any of numerous plants of the orchid family usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors

From this reading “Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.”

select adjective US /səˈlekt/

of superior grade

From this reading “She was determined to select the table decorations herself.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

next morning adjective + noun

In this reading “Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.”

less expensive adverb + adjective

In this reading “Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.”

rather surprised adverb + adjective

In this reading “We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.”

open book verb + noun

In this reading “Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.”

at the cost preposition + article + noun counted as “at … cost”

In this reading “We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.”

Before going preposition + noun

In this reading “Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

acclimatized

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

accompaniedadjectiveUS /əˈkʌmpənid/

having companions or an escort

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

AmericannounUS /əˈmerəkən/

a native or inhabitant of the United States

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

AnnanounUS /ˈænə/

a former copper coin of Pakistan and India

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

appealedverbUS /əˈpiːld/

past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.

attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

BeautynounUS /ˈbjuːti/

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

becomeverbUS /bɪˈkʌm/

enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

BeforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

bloomsnounUS /bluːmz/

plural of “bloom” — the organic process of bearing flowers

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

booknounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

costnounUS /kɑːst/

the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor

From this reading We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.

covetedadjectiveUS /ˈkʌvətɪd/

greatly desired

From this reading We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.

declaredadjectiveUS /dɪˈklerd/

made known or openly avowed

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

decorationsnounUS /ˌdekərˈeɪʃənz/

plural of “decoration” — something used to beautify

From this reading She was determined to select the table decorations herself.

determinedadjectiveUS /dɪˈtɜːrmənd/

characterized by great determination

From this reading She was determined to select the table decorations herself.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

expensiveadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspensɪv/

high in price or charging high prices

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

florist's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

flowersnounUS /ˈflaʊərz/

plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms

From this reading We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading She was determined to select the table decorations herself.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

LateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

Letitia

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

livingnounUS /ˈlɪvɪŋ/

the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

OrchidsnounUS /ˈɔːrkədz/

plural of “orchid” — any of numerous plants of the orchid family usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

paidadjectiveUS /peɪd/

marked by the reception of pay

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

promisedverbUS /ˈprɑːməst/

past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.

rosesnounUS /ˈroʊzɪz/

plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

selectadjectiveUS /səˈlekt/

of superior grade

From this reading She was determined to select the table decorations herself.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She was determined to select the table decorations herself.

stronglyadverbUS /ˈstrɔːŋli/

with strength or in a strong manner

From this reading Orchids and American Beauty roses appealed to her strongly, and she paid no attention to less expensive blooms.

surprisedadjectiveUS /sərˈpraɪzd/

taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment

From this reading We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading She was determined to select the table decorations herself.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Before going to the office next morning, I accompanied Letitia to the florist's.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading She was determined to select the table decorations herself.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading We were rather surprised at the cost of the flowers Letitia coveted.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Later on, she declared, when Anna had become acclimatized and our way of living was to her as an open book, Letitia promised to leave everything to her.

Chapter 4 of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues by Alan Dale holds 323 sentences, grouped into 65 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.

What does chapter 4 of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues contain?

Chapter 4 holds 323 sentences of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues by Alan Dale exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 323 sentences, grouped into 65 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues?

Work through the 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 65 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues

Common questions about reading Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues by Alan Dale on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues?

Yes. All 6134 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43983 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #43983, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues take to read?

About 511 minutes of reading across 1227 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues section by section

How to work through Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues

Words and structures a reader meets early in Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Dreary
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cooklessness
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Heart
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fainted
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wanted: A Cook: Domestic Dialogues; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.