Chapter 4 of Bloom of Cactus is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Bloom of Cactus is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened. She drew him toward the pony. "You've got to ride," she said. "You can't stand the pace. That poison is no joke.
Chapter 4 of Bloom of Cactus is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
hold firmly and tightly
From this reading “PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.”
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.”
possessive form of “lennon” — English rock star and guitarist and songwriter who with Paul McCartney wrote most of the music for the Beatles (1940-1980)
From this reading “PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.”
spoil as if by poison
From this reading “That poison is no joke.”
a range horse of the western United States
From this reading “She drew him toward the pony.”
without strain or anxiety
From this reading “PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.”
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading “PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can't stand the pace.
hold firmly and tightly
From this reading PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading She drew him toward the pony.
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You've got to ride," she said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She drew him toward the pony.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That poison is no joke.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading That poison is no joke.
possessive form of “lennon” — English rock star and guitarist and songwriter who with Paul McCartney wrote most of the music for the Beatles (1940-1980)
From this reading PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.
not any; not one
From this reading That poison is no joke.
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading "You can't stand the pace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.
spoil as if by poison
From this reading That poison is no joke.
a range horse of the western United States
From this reading She drew him toward the pony.
without strain or anxiety
From this reading PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading "You've got to ride," she said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You've got to ride," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She drew him toward the pony.
be standing; be upright
From this reading "You can't stand the pace.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That poison is no joke.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading PARDS IN PERIL As Lennon's clasp relaxed, the girl's tightened.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You've got to ride," she said.
in the direction of
From this reading She drew him toward the pony.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You can't stand the pace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've got to ride," she said.
Chapter 4 of Bloom of Cactus by Robert Ames Bennet holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 204 sentences of Bloom of Cactus, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Bloom of Cactus by Robert Ames Bennet exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Bloom of Cactus by Robert Ames Bennet on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4237 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22270 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22270, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 848 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bloom of Cactus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Bloom of Cactus 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 Bloom of Cactus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
