Chapter 4 of Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It sounded a record breaker. I felt that there should have been a burst of applause. But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale. Then came the last item. "Now," I said, "when will this 'complete' be ready?"
Chapter 4 of Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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 demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together
From this reading “I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.”
a quarry worker who splits off blocks of stone
From this reading “It sounded a record breaker.”
cause to move by striking
From this reading “But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.”
a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list
From this reading “Then came the last item.”
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading “It sounded a record breaker.”
an ordered reference standard
From this reading “But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.”
requiring sitting or little activity
From this reading “But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “It sounded a record breaker.”
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 It sounded a record breaker.
a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together
From this reading I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Now," I said, "when will this 'complete' be ready?"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.
a quarry worker who splits off blocks of stone
From this reading It sounded a record breaker.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then came the last item.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading "Now," I said, "when will this 'complete' be ready?"
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.
cause to move by striking
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
ten 10s
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It sounded a record breaker.
a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list
From this reading Then came the last item.
immediately past
From this reading Then came the last item.
the force of workers available
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now," I said, "when will this 'complete' be ready?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading "Now," I said, "when will this 'complete' be ready?"
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading It sounded a record breaker.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now," I said, "when will this 'complete' be ready?"
Identical; not different.
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
an ordered reference standard
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
requiring sitting or little activity
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading It sounded a record breaker.
express in words
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then came the last item.
in or at that place or location
From this reading I felt that there should have been a burst of applause.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Now," I said, "when will this 'complete' be ready?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
at the time that
From this reading "Now," I said, "when will this 'complete' be ready?"
which person or people
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Now," I said, "when will this 'complete' be ready?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But, to tell the truth, I have friends--quiet sedentary men in the professoriate--who would easily hit up four or five hundred on the same scale.
Chapter 4 of Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions by Stephen Leacock holds 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 448 sentences of Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions by Stephen Leacock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions by Stephen Leacock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2188 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23449 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23449, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 182 minutes of reading across 438 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions 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 Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
