Chapter 4 of Facing the World is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Facing the World is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon. It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning. About ten o’clock Mr. Fox had occasion to go to the village. In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
Chapter 4 of Facing the World is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.”
(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare
From this reading “In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.”
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading “FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.”
a Hebrew minor prophet
From this reading “It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.”
possessive form of “joel” — a Hebrew minor prophet
third-person singular of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.”
having a common boundary or edge; abutting; touching
From this reading “In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.”
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading “In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.”
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 the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About ten o’clock Mr. Fox had occasion to go to the village.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading About ten o’clock Mr. Fox had occasion to go to the village.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
a Hebrew minor prophet
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
possessive form of “joel” — a Hebrew minor prophet
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
third-person singular of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
having a common boundary or edge; abutting; touching
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
not one, and not any
From this reading FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
according to the clock
From this reading About ten o’clock Mr. Fox had occasion to go to the village.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading About ten o’clock Mr. Fox had occasion to go to the village.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
and nothing more
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.
in the near future
From this reading FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading About ten o’clock Mr. Fox had occasion to go to the village.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading About ten o’clock Mr. Fox had occasion to go to the village.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading About ten o’clock Mr. Fox had occasion to go to the village.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading FOX LEARNS HARRY’S SECRET Harry had acted none too soon.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
precisely as stated
From this reading It happened that his secret had been discovered not only by Joel, but by Joel’s father, that very morning.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading About ten o’clock Mr. Fox had occasion to go to the village.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In the post office he met an acquaintance from a neighboring town, with whom he passed the usual compliments.
Chapter 4 of Facing the World by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 133 sentences of Facing the World, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Facing the World by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Facing the World by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6461 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6461, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 174 minutes of reading across 420 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Facing the World section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Facing the World 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 Facing the World, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
