Chapter 4 of Cutlass and Cudgel is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Cutlass and Cudgel is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, yes! These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing. Apologise, and I'll give the order to march. It goes through me like a knife." Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
Chapter 4 of Cutlass and Cudgel is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.”
defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
From this reading “Apologise, and I'll give the order to march.”
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading “These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.”
intense and profound fear
From this reading “Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.”
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading “It goes through me like a knife."”
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading “Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.”
past form of “swoon” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading “Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.”
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading “Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.”
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 goes through me like a knife."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Apologise, and I'll give the order to march.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
From this reading Apologise, and I'll give the order to march.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
have
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
confined by bonds
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Apologise, and I'll give the order to march.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading It goes through me like a knife."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
intense and profound fear
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Apologise, and I'll give the order to march.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It goes through me like a knife."
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading It goes through me like a knife."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It goes through me like a knife."
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
for more time
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
march in a procession
From this reading Apologise, and I'll give the order to march.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It goes through me like a knife."
the force of workers available
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, yes!
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Apologise, and I'll give the order to march.
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
past form of “swoon” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
a special situation
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading It goes through me like a knife."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading These are not the sort o' folk to do that kind o' thing.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
at the time that
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Archy drew a long breath, and was about to retire his men, when he heard something which made him bound forward, for Celia, unable to bear the horror and alarm any longer had suddenly swooned away.
an affirmative
From this reading "Oh, yes!
Chapter 4 of Cutlass and Cudgel by George Manville Fenn holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of Cutlass and Cudgel, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Cutlass and Cudgel by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Cutlass and Cudgel by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5482 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21297 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21297, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 456 minutes of reading across 1097 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cutlass and Cudgel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Cutlass and Cudgel 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 Cutlass and Cudgel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
