Chapter 4 of A Counterfeit Presentment is here in full — 441 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 A Counterfeit Presentment is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
III. CONSTANCE, BARTLETT, _and_ GENERAL WYATT. _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!" _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night. I didn't sleep well."
Chapter 4 of A Counterfeit Presentment is here in full — 441 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.
United States explorer who accompanied Peary's expedition to the North Pole and who led many other Arctic trips (1875-1946)
From this reading “CONSTANCE, BARTLETT, _and_ GENERAL WYATT.”
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading “CONSTANCE, BARTLETT, _and_ GENERAL WYATT.”
possessive form of “general” — a general officer of the highest rank
From this reading “_Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “_Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “_General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.”
plural of “rest” — something left after other parts have been taken away
From this reading “_General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.”
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading “_Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"”
English architect (1746-1813)
From this reading “CONSTANCE, BARTLETT, _and_ GENERAL WYATT.”
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 “_Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"”
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 _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
later than; following
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading CONSTANCE, BARTLETT, _and_ GENERAL WYATT.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
United States explorer who accompanied Peary's expedition to the North Pole and who led many other Arctic trips (1875-1946)
From this reading CONSTANCE, BARTLETT, _and_ GENERAL WYATT.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading CONSTANCE, BARTLETT, _and_ GENERAL WYATT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn't sleep well."
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading CONSTANCE, BARTLETT, _and_ GENERAL WYATT.
possessive form of “general” — a general officer of the highest rank
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading III.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
plural of “rest” — something left after other parts have been taken away
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading I didn't sleep well."
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
(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 I didn't sleep well."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
English architect (1746-1813)
From this reading CONSTANCE, BARTLETT, _and_ GENERAL WYATT.
an affirmative
From this reading _General Wyatt_, with a queer look.--"Yes, I find it rests me after a bad night.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Constance_, fighting her way through the smoke to the General's chair.--"Why, papa, how you _have_ been smoking!"
Chapter 4 of A Counterfeit Presentment by William Dean Howells holds 441 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 441 sentences of A Counterfeit Presentment, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Counterfeit Presentment by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 441 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 A Counterfeit Presentment by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3071 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43469 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43469, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 255 minutes of reading across 615 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Counterfeit Presentment section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of A Counterfeit Presentment 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 A Counterfeit Presentment, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
