Chapter 4 of Breaking Away is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Breaking Away is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN WHICH ERNEST DECLINES A PROPOSITION. The battle had been fought and lost to me. Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me. He was reckless and desperate. He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
Chapter 4 of Breaking Away is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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 feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading “He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.”
plural of “decline” — change toward something smaller or lower
From this reading “IN WHICH ERNEST DECLINES A PROPOSITION.”
overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading “Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.”
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading “Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.”
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading “IN WHICH ERNEST DECLINES A PROPOSITION.”
marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
From this reading “He was reckless and desperate.”
very drunk
From this reading “He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.”
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.”
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 IN WHICH ERNEST DECLINES A PROPOSITION.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The battle had been fought and lost to me.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
from appearances alone
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading The battle had been fought and lost to me.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The battle had been fought and lost to me.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
plural of “decline” — change toward something smaller or lower
From this reading IN WHICH ERNEST DECLINES A PROPOSITION.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading He was reckless and desperate.
characterized by great determination
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN WHICH ERNEST DECLINES A PROPOSITION.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading The battle had been fought and lost to me.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The battle had been fought and lost to me.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was reckless and desperate.
superlative of “high” — greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN WHICH ERNEST DECLINES A PROPOSITION.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading The battle had been fought and lost to me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The battle had been fought and lost to me.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading IN WHICH ERNEST DECLINES A PROPOSITION.
marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
From this reading He was reckless and desperate.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Mr. Parasyte, roused to the highest pitch of anger and excitement, seemed to be determined to overwhelm me.
very drunk
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The battle had been fought and lost to me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The battle had been fought and lost to me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was reckless and desperate.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading IN WHICH ERNEST DECLINES A PROPOSITION.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He had smashed my boat apparently with as little compunction as he would snap a dead stick in his fingers.
Chapter 4 of Breaking Away by Oliver Optic holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 105 sentences of Breaking Away, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Breaking Away by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Breaking Away by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3294 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22433 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22433, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 274 minutes of reading across 659 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Breaking Away section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Breaking Away 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 Breaking Away, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
