Chapter 4 of Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The little company began its long journey. Some of the men rode on camels, some on horses. They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough. Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them. The merchants were not fighting men.
Chapter 4 of Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading “Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.”
plural of “camel” — cud-chewing mammal used as a draft or saddle animal in desert regions
From this reading “Some of the men rode on camels, some on horses.”
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading “The merchants were not fighting men.”
plural of “merchant” — a businessperson engaged in retail trade
From this reading “The merchants were not fighting men.”
Persons who steal from a person or place, especially using violence or threats.
From this reading “Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.”
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “Some of the men rode on camels, some on horses.”
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading “They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.”
past form of “swoop” — move down on as if in an attack
From this reading “Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.”
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 Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The little company began its long journey.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
plural of “camel” — cud-chewing mammal used as a draft or saddle animal in desert regions
From this reading Some of the men rode on camels, some on horses.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading The little company began its long journey.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading The merchants were not fighting men.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Some of the men rode on camels, some on horses.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The little company began its long journey.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading The little company began its long journey.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little company began its long journey.
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 The little company began its long journey.
the force of workers available
From this reading Some of the men rode on camels, some on horses.
plural of “merchant” — a businessperson engaged in retail trade
From this reading The merchants were not fighting men.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The merchants were not fighting men.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Some of the men rode on camels, some on horses.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Some of the men rode on camels, some on horses.
Persons who steal from a person or place, especially using violence or threats.
From this reading Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Some of the men rode on camels, some on horses.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some of the men rode on camels, some on horses.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
past form of “swoop” — move down on as if in an attack
From this reading Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The little company began its long journey.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
in the direction of
From this reading Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Suddenly, towards evening, a band of robbers swooped down upon them.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading They went but slowly, for the sun was hot and the way was rough.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The merchants were not fighting men.
Chapter 4 of Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories by James Baldwin holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories by James Baldwin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories by James Baldwin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2538 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6168 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6168, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 211 minutes of reading across 508 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories 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 Fifty Famous People: A Book of Short Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
