Chapter 4 of Where the Blue Begins is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Where the Blue Begins is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path. The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies. He stood for a moment, looking. Suddenly there came a frightened cry from the nursery. “Daddy, a keeto, a keeto!”
Chapter 4 of Where the Blue Begins is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading ““Daddy, a keeto, a keeto!””
plural of “firefly” — tropical American click beetle having bright luminous spots
From this reading “The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.”
made afraid
From this reading “Suddenly there came a frightened cry from the nursery.”
having open interstices or resembling a web
From this reading “The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.”
a child's room for a baby
From this reading “Suddenly there came a frightened cry from the nursery.”
a course of conduct
From this reading “The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.”
reflect brightly
From this reading “The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.”
creating fabric
From this reading “The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.”
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 stood for a moment, looking.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Suddenly there came a frightened cry from the nursery.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Suddenly there came a frightened cry from the nursery.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Daddy, a keeto, a keeto!”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
plural of “firefly” — tropical American click beetle having bright luminous spots
From this reading The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He stood for a moment, looking.
made afraid
From this reading Suddenly there came a frightened cry from the nursery.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Suddenly there came a frightened cry from the nursery.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Daddy, a keeto, a keeto!”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He stood for a moment, looking.
a particular point in time
From this reading He stood for a moment, looking.
having open interstices or resembling a web
From this reading The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.
a child's room for a baby
From this reading Suddenly there came a frightened cry from the nursery.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.
a course of conduct
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
reflect brightly
From this reading The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly there came a frightened cry from the nursery.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Suddenly there came a frightened cry from the nursery.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.
creating fabric
From this reading The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The little house stood silent in the darkness as he went down the path.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies.
Chapter 4 of Where the Blue Begins by Christopher Morley holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 194 sentences of Where the Blue Begins, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Where the Blue Begins by Christopher Morley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Where the Blue Begins by Christopher Morley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2507 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1402 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1402, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 208 minutes of reading across 502 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Where the Blue Begins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Where the Blue Begins 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 Where the Blue Begins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
