Chapter 4 of Dick Chester is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Dick Chester is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious. "What is it, Giles?" he asked. "Anything wrong?" Giles shrugged his shoulders. "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
Chapter 4 of Dick Chester is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading “"Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"”
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading “THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.”
a commissioned military officer
From this reading “THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.”
being perceived or observed
From this reading “THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.”
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading “THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “Giles shrugged his shoulders.”
the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
From this reading “THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.”
coming next after the fifth and just before the seventh in position
From this reading “THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.”
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.
In this reading “THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.”
move away from a place into another direction
In this reading “"Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
any thing at all
From this reading "Anything wrong?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What is it, Giles?" he asked.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
someone who is a detective
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
an opposing military force
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What is it, Giles?" he asked.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What is it, Giles?" he asked.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it, Giles?" he asked.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it, Giles?" he asked.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
being perceived or observed
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Giles shrugged his shoulders.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading Giles shrugged his shoulders.
the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
coming next after the fifth and just before the seventh in position
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
in an unusual manner
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading THE FLAG GOES DOWN--AND UP On the sixth day of the siege Dick noticed that his lieutenant looked unwontedly serious.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it, Giles?" he asked.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Little Captain," he said, "why don't our friends, the enemy, go away or attack us?"
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading "Anything wrong?"
Chapter 4 of Dick Chester by G. I. (Grace Isabelle) Whitham holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 80 sentences of Dick Chester, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Dick Chester by G. I. (Grace Isabelle) Whitham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Dick Chester by G. I. (Grace Isabelle) Whitham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3461 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76615 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76615, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 288 minutes of reading across 693 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dick Chester section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Dick Chester 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 Dick Chester, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
