Chapter 4 of Bright Ideas is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Bright Ideas is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Cheer up, Mrs. Trenchard. Let’s hope for the best. I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done." "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law. The law be a terrible creature."
Chapter 4 of Bright Ideas is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
give encouragement to
From this reading “"Cheer up, Mrs. Trenchard.”
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “The law be a terrible creature."”
plural of “eve” — (Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
From this reading “I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."”
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading “I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."”
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading “"Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.”
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading “"Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “The law be a terrible creature."”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “"Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.”
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.
cause (somebody) to feel happier or more cheerful
In this reading “"Cheer up, Mrs. Trenchard.”
In this reading “The law be a terrible creature."”
In this reading “"Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.”
recover something or somebody that appeared to be lost
In this reading “I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."”
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 The law be a terrible creature."
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Let’s hope for the best.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
give encouragement to
From this reading "Cheer up, Mrs. Trenchard.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading The law be a terrible creature."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
the branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication
From this reading "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.
plural of “eve” — (Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Let’s hope for the best.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Let’s hope for the best.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Let’s hope for the best.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Cheer up, Mrs. Trenchard.
above and across; more than
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
term of address for a man
From this reading "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading The law be a terrible creature."
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Thank ’ee kindly, sir, but don’t ’ee go against the law.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Let’s hope for the best.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Cheer up, Mrs. Trenchard.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Cheer up, Mrs. Trenchard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
at the time that
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
in the company of; together with
From this reading I’ll talk it over with Eves when he gets back, and we’ll see what can be done."
Chapter 4 of Bright Ideas by Herbert Strang holds 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 435 sentences of Bright Ideas, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Bright Ideas by Herbert Strang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Bright Ideas by Herbert Strang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3389 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43234 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43234, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 282 minutes of reading across 678 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bright Ideas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Bright Ideas 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 Bright Ideas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
