Wild Margaret

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Wild Margaret is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Charles Garvice • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

"Lord Leyton, my lord!"

The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

"Yes, my lord," said the valet, with the proper impassiveness of a high-class servant.

The earl kept his eyes on the floor for a moment, then nodded as an indication that Lord Blair was to be shown in, and Mr. Larkhall went out to the drawing-room, where Lord Blair was waiting.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/60

Wild Margaret

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Wild Margaret is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

Line 2

"Lord Leyton, my lord!"

Line 3

The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

Line 4

"Yes, my lord," said the valet, with the proper impassiveness of a high-class servant.

Line 5

The earl kept his eyes on the floor for a moment, then nodded as an indication that Lord Blair was to be shown in, and Mr. Larkhall went out to the drawing-room, where Lord Blair was waiting.

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.

announcement noun US /əˈnaʊnsmənt/

a formal public statement

From this reading “Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:”

Blair noun US /bler/

British statesman who became prime minister in 1997 (born in 1953)

From this reading “The earl kept his eyes on the floor for a moment, then nodded as an indication that Lord Blair was to be shown in, and Mr. Larkhall went out to the drawing-room, where Lord Blair was waiting.”

earl noun US /ɜːrl/

a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount

From this reading “Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:”

earl's noun US /ɜːrlz/

possessive form of “earl” — a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount

From this reading “Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:”

frowning adjective US /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/

showing displeasure or anger

From this reading “The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.”

indication noun US /ˌɪndəˈkeɪʃən/

something that serves to indicate or suggest

slightly adverb US /ˈslaɪtli/

to a small degree or extent

From this reading “The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.”

valet noun US /væˈleɪ/

a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer

From this reading “Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:”

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.

on the floor preposition + article + noun counted as “on … floor”

In this reading “The earl kept his eyes on the floor for a moment, then nodded as an indication that Lord Blair was to be shown in, and Mr. Larkhall went out to the drawing-room, where Lord Blair was waiting.”

for a moment preposition + article + noun counted as “for … moment”

temporarily

went out verb + adjective counted as “go out”

move out of or depart from

All words in this reading · 57

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "Yes, my lord," said the valet, with the proper impassiveness of a high-class servant.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading The earl kept his eyes on the floor for a moment, then nodded as an indication that Lord Blair was to be shown in, and Mr. Larkhall went out to the drawing-room, where Lord Blair was waiting.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

announcementnounUS /əˈnaʊnsmənt/

a formal public statement

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

BlairnounUS /bler/

British statesman who became prime minister in 1997 (born in 1953)

drawing-room

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

earlnounUS /ɜːrl/

a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

earl'snounUS /ɜːrlz/

possessive form of “earl” — a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

expressionnounUS /ɪkˈspreʃən/

the feelings expressed on a person's face

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

frowningadjectiveUS /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/

showing displeasure or anger

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

high-classadjective

pretentiously elegant

From this reading "Yes, my lord," said the valet, with the proper impassiveness of a high-class servant.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

impassivenessnoun

apathy demonstrated by an absence of emotional reactions

From this reading "Yes, my lord," said the valet, with the proper impassiveness of a high-class servant.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

indicationnounUS /ˌɪndəˈkeɪʃən/

something that serves to indicate or suggest

keptadjectiveUS /kept/

(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded

Larkhall

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

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

Leyton

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

From this reading "Lord Leyton, my lord!"

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading "Lord Leyton, my lord!"

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

MeanwhileadverbUS /ˈmiːnwaɪl/

at the same time but in another place

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "Lord Leyton, my lord!"

noddedverbUS /ˈnɑːdəd/

inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

properadjectiveUS /ˈprɑːpər/

marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness

From this reading "Yes, my lord," said the valet, with the proper impassiveness of a high-class servant.

raisedadjectiveUS /reɪzd/

located or moved above the surround or above the normal position

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

servantnounUS /ˈsɜːrvənt/

a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)

From this reading "Yes, my lord," said the valet, with the proper impassiveness of a high-class servant.

shownverbUS /ʃoʊn/

inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

sitting-room

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

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

slightlyadverbUS /ˈslaɪtli/

to a small degree or extent

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

steel-gray

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

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

surprisenounUS /sərˈpraɪz/

the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

valetnounUS /væˈleɪ/

a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer

From this reading Meanwhile, Mr. Larkhall, the valet, had gone to the earl's sitting-room and made the announcement:

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Yes, my lord," said the valet, with the proper impassiveness of a high-class servant.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading The earl raised his steel-gray eyes, and, frowning slightly, said, "Lord Leyton?" without any expression of surprise.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes, my lord," said the valet, with the proper impassiveness of a high-class servant.

Chapter 4 of Wild Margaret by Charles Garvice holds 300 sentences, grouped into 60 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 Wild Margaret contain?

Chapter 4 holds 300 sentences of Wild Margaret, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Wild Margaret by Charles Garvice exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 300 sentences, grouped into 60 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.

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Work through the 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 60 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.

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Yes. All 8251 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44828 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #44828, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1651 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Wild Margaret

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Chapter IV

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