Chapter 4 of Balaam and His Master, and Other Sketches and Stories 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 Balaam and His Master, and Other Sketches and Stories is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You see ’im now!” he cried. “You see what he was atter! He’d better have gone over the mountain. Lord, yes! Lots better.”
Chapter 4 of Balaam and His Master, and Other Sketches and Stories 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.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “He’d better have gone over the mountain.”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading ““You see ’im now!” he cried.”
destroyed or killed
From this reading “He’d better have gone over the mountain.”
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “Lord, yes!”
a large number or amount
From this reading “Lots better.””
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading “He’d better have gone over the mountain.”
above and across; more than
From this reading “He’d better have gone over the mountain.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Lord, yes!”
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 “He’d better have gone over the mountain.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You see what he was atter!
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading He’d better have gone over the mountain.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “You see ’im now!” he cried.
destroyed or killed
From this reading He’d better have gone over the mountain.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He’d better have gone over the mountain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You see ’im now!” he cried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’d better have gone over the mountain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You see ’im now!” he cried.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Lord, yes!
a large number or amount
From this reading Lots better.”
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading He’d better have gone over the mountain.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “You see ’im now!” he cried.
above and across; more than
From this reading He’d better have gone over the mountain.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You see ’im now!” he cried.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He’d better have gone over the mountain.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “You see what he was atter!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “You see what he was atter!
an affirmative
From this reading Lord, yes!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You see ’im now!” he cried.
Chapter 4 of Balaam and His Master, and Other Sketches and Stories by Joel Chandler Harris 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 Balaam and His Master, and Other Sketches and Stories, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Balaam and His Master, and Other Sketches and Stories by Joel Chandler Harris 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 Balaam and His Master, and Other Sketches and Stories by Joel Chandler Harris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3270 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56883 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56883, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 272 minutes of reading across 654 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Balaam and His Master, and Other Sketches and Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Balaam and His Master, and Other Sketches and Stories 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 Balaam and His Master, and Other Sketches and Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
