Chapter 4 of Battling the clouds is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Battling the clouds is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank. Bill made no reply. "Don't you say so?" pressed Frank. "Don't you think he is a peach?" Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.
Chapter 4 of Battling the clouds is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “Bill made no reply.”
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading “Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “"Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.”
cultivated in temperate regions
From this reading “"Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.”
compacted by ironing
From this reading “"Don't you say so?" pressed Frank.”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.”
unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom
From this reading “Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.”
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “Bill made no reply.”
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 "Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.
react verbally
From this reading Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading Bill made no reply.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't you say so?" pressed Frank.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading "Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Don't you think he is a peach?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Don't you think he is a peach?"
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Bill made no reply.
not any; not one
From this reading Bill made no reply.
cultivated in temperate regions
From this reading "Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.
compacted by ironing
From this reading "Don't you say so?" pressed Frank.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.
unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom
From this reading Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading Bill made no reply.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.
express in words
From this reading "Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Don't you say so?" pressed Frank.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Don't you think he is a peach?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Bill, forced to answer the question, made a frank but reluctant reply.
(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 "Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Well, I will say he's a peach!" said Frank.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Don't you say so?" pressed Frank.
Chapter 4 of Battling the clouds by Frank Cobb holds 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 206 sentences of Battling the clouds, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Battling the clouds by Frank Cobb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Battling the clouds by Frank Cobb on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2803 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28625 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28625, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 233 minutes of reading across 561 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Battling the clouds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Battling the clouds 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 Battling the clouds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
