Chapter 4 of Across the Fruited Plain is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Across the Fruited Plain is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done. Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice. "I wish I'd been there. I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him. But listen, Lady!"
Chapter 4 of Across the Fruited Plain is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading “I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.”
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading “But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.”
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading “Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.”
plural of “guy” — an informal term for a youth or man
From this reading “I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.”
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading “Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.”
being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
From this reading “Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.”
made clean by scrubbing
From this reading “Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.”
the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading “Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.”
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 Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I wish I'd been there.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.
a youthful male person
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.
plural of “guy” — an informal term for a youth or man
From this reading I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wish I'd been there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I wish I'd been there.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading But listen, Lady!"
hear with intention
From this reading But listen, Lady!"
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
made clean by scrubbing
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "I wish I'd been there.
up to a particular time
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Then he scrubbed a ragged sleeve across eyes and nose and spoke in a choked, angry voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
which person or people
From this reading But it was the boy who sat breathless till the story was done.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I wish I'd been there.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I bet them guys wouldn't-wouldn't got so fresh with--with him.
Chapter 4 of Across the Fruited Plain by Florence Crannell Means holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 419 sentences of Across the Fruited Plain, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Across the Fruited Plain by Florence Crannell Means exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Across the Fruited Plain by Florence Crannell Means on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1690 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18681 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18681, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 140 minutes of reading across 338 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Across the Fruited Plain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Across the Fruited Plain 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 Across the Fruited Plain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
