Chapter 4 of Fourth Down! is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Fourth Down! is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly. To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket. This he held across to Toby. “’Tain’t very clean,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do.” “What is it?” asked Toby, accepting it doubtfully.
Chapter 4 of Fourth Down! is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
tolerating without protest
From this reading ““What is it?” asked Toby, accepting it doubtfully.”
the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
From this reading “To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.”
of metal e.g.
From this reading “To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.”
in a gruff manner
From this reading “G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly.”
-ing form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading “To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.”
a drinking mug in the shape of a stout man wearing a three-cornered hat
From this reading “To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.”
possessive form of “toby” — a drinking mug in the shape of a stout man wearing a three-cornered hat
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 “To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.”
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 To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
tolerating without protest
From this reading “What is it?” asked Toby, accepting it doubtfully.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading This he held across to Toby.
the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What is it?” asked Toby, accepting it doubtfully.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “’Tain’t very clean,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading “’Tain’t very clean,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “’Tain’t very clean,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do.”
of metal e.g.
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “’Tain’t very clean,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do.”
in a doubtful manner
From this reading “What is it?” asked Toby, accepting it doubtfully.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
a metric unit of weight equal to one thousandth of a kilogram
From this reading G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly.
in a gruff manner
From this reading G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly.
a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading This he held across to Toby.
an expression of greeting
From this reading G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “’Tain’t very clean,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do.”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is it?” asked Toby, accepting it doubtfully.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “What is it?” asked Toby, accepting it doubtfully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “’Tain’t very clean,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do.”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
-ing form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
on the contrary
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “’Tain’t very clean,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do.”
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
inflected form of “slide” — move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “’Tain’t very clean,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This he held across to Toby.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
a drinking mug in the shape of a stout man wearing a three-cornered hat
From this reading This he held across to Toby.
possessive form of “toby” — a drinking mug in the shape of a stout man wearing a three-cornered hat
From this reading To Toby’s further annoyance he slid into the end seat, as he did so producing a folded but rather crumpled handkerchief from a pocket.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly.
precisely as stated
From this reading “’Tain’t very clean,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do.”
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading G. W. TUBB “Hello,” answered the other gruffly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is it?” asked Toby, accepting it doubtfully.
Chapter 4 of Fourth Down! by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 156 sentences of Fourth Down!, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Fourth Down! by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Fourth Down! by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4798 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63892 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63892, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 399 minutes of reading across 960 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fourth Down! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Fourth Down! 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 Fourth Down!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
