Borderland

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Borderland is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Jessie Fothergill • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.

‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

But Otho did not at once sit down.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/40

Borderland

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Borderland is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

Line 2

Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

Line 3

Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.

Line 4

‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

Line 5

But Otho did not at once sit down.

Learner Dictionary

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.

folly noun US /ˈfɑːli/

the trait of acting stupidly or rashly

From this reading “LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.”

Gables noun US /ˈɡeɪbəlz/

plural of “gable” — the vertical triangular wall between the sloping ends of gable roof

From this reading “LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.”

Gilbert noun US /ˈɡɪlbərt/

a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns

From this reading “LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.”

Gilbert's noun US /ˈɡɪlbərts/

possessive form of “gilbert” — a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns

greeted verb US /ˈɡriːtəd/

past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone

From this reading “Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.”

November noun US /noʊˈvembər/

the month following October and preceding December

From this reading “LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.”

pushing noun US /ˈpʊʃɪŋ/

the act of applying force in order to move something away

From this reading “‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.”

visitor noun US /ˈvɪzɪtər/

someone who visits

From this reading “Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

Sit down verb + adjective

take a seat

In this reading “‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.”

young man adjective + noun

a teenager or a young adult male

In this reading “Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.”

at once preposition + adverb

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

In this reading “But Otho did not at once sit down.”

at home preposition + noun

a reception held in your own home

In this reading “‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.”

looked up verb + adjective counted as “look up”

seek information from

In this reading “Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.”

new friend adjective + noun

In this reading “Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.”

in the afternoon preposition + article + noun counted as “in … afternoon”

In this reading “LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

Askam

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But Otho did not at once sit down.

desknounUS /desk/

a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments

From this reading Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading But Otho did not at once sit down.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

droppedverbUS /drɑːpt/

inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

FOLLYnounUS /ˈfɑːli/

the trait of acting stupidly or rashly

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.

GablesnounUS /ˈɡeɪbəlz/

plural of “gable” — the vertical triangular wall between the sloping ends of gable roof

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

GilbertnounUS /ˈɡɪlbərt/

a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

Gilbert'snounUS /ˈɡɪlbərts/

possessive form of “gilbert” — a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

greetedverbUS /ˈɡriːtəd/

past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone

From this reading Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

Langstroth

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

LANGSTROTH'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But Otho did not at once sit down.

NovembernounUS /noʊˈvembər/

the month following October and preceding December

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading But Otho did not at once sit down.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

Othonoun

French pope from 1088 to 1099 whose sermons called for the First Crusade (1042-1099)

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

pushingnounUS /ˈpʊʃɪŋ/

the act of applying force in order to move something away

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

RednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

satisfiedadjectiveUS /ˈsætəsfaɪd/

filled with satisfaction

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

SitverbUS /sɪt/

be seated

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

tobacco-jar

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

tranquillyadverb

without emotional agitation

From this reading Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.

urbanitynoun

polished courtesy; elegance of manner

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

visitornounUS /ˈvɪzɪtər/

someone who visits

From this reading Gilbert himself looked up from his desk, and greeted the visitor tranquilly.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading LANGSTROTH’S FOLLY One November evening, or rather, late in the afternoon, Otho had dropped in at the Red Gables, where he had found Gilbert and his father.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Mr. Langstroth received the young man with urbanity; he had all along seemed satisfied with Gilbert’s new friend.

yourselfpronounUS /jərˈself/

used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action

From this reading ‘Sit down, and make yourself at home,’ said he, pushing a tobacco-jar towards Askam.

Chapter 4 of Borderland by Jessie Fothergill holds 201 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.

What does chapter 4 of Borderland contain?

Chapter 4 holds 201 sentences of Borderland, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Borderland by Jessie Fothergill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 201 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Borderland?

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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Borderland

Common questions about reading Borderland by Jessie Fothergill on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Borderland?

Yes. All 7267 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75051 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Borderland is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #75051, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Borderland take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1454 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Borderland section by section

How to work through Borderland section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 40 chapters of Borderland to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Borderland

Words and structures a reader meets early in Borderland, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Version: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Borderland; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cannot: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Borderland; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Represent: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Borderland; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Certain: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Borderland; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter IV

What does chapter 4 of Borderland contain?

How do I study chapter 4 of Borderland?

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading Borderland

How to read Borderland section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in Borderland