Chapter 4 of A Rogue by Compulsion is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Rogue by Compulsion is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together. "Come in," I called out. The door opened, and the girl, Sonia, entered the room. She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers. "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
Chapter 4 of A Rogue by Compulsion is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
serving or used in place of another
From this reading “AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.”
-ing form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading “She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.”
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading “She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.”
underpants worn by men
From this reading “She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.”
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading “AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.”
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading “AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.”
an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food
From this reading “She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.”
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 AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
serving or used in place of another
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The door opened, and the girl, Sonia, entered the room.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Come in," I called out.
-ing form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come in," I called out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door opened, and the girl, Sonia, entered the room.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
underpants worn by men
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading The door opened, and the girl, Sonia, entered the room.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
a young female
From this reading The door opened, and the girl, Sonia, entered the room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Come in," I called out.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The door opened, and the girl, Sonia, entered the room.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Come in," I called out.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The door opened, and the girl, Sonia, entered the room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The door opened, and the girl, Sonia, entered the room.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The door opened, and the girl, Sonia, entered the room.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
the upper part of anything
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the top of the chest of drawers.
in the company of; together with
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading AN OFFER WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE With a big effort I pulled myself together.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I don't know the least how to thank you for all this," I said.
Chapter 4 of A Rogue by Compulsion by Victor Bridges holds 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 286 sentences of A Rogue by Compulsion, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Rogue by Compulsion by Victor Bridges exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 Rogue by Compulsion by Victor Bridges on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6655 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10511 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10511, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 554 minutes of reading across 1331 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Rogue by Compulsion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of A Rogue by Compulsion 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 Rogue by Compulsion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
