Chapter 4 of Grit 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 Grit is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A BOY IN THE WATER. Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts. He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city. He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social. "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
Chapter 4 of Grit 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.
diffusing warmth and friendliness
From this reading “He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social.”
in a fashionable manner
From this reading “He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.”
transport by boat or aircraft
From this reading “"Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.”
a hard coarse-grained siliceous sandstone
From this reading “"Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.”
English film actress who later became a member of British Parliament (born in 1936)
From this reading “Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.”
plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading “"Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.”
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading “Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.”
near that time or date
From this reading “Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.”
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 “"Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.”
In this reading “He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social.”
In this reading “He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.”
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 A BOY IN THE WATER.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
diffusing warmth and friendliness
From this reading He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social.
a youthful male person
From this reading A BOY IN THE WATER.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.
in a fashionable manner
From this reading He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.
transport by boat or aircraft
From this reading "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
being ten more than thirty
From this reading Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.
a hard coarse-grained siliceous sandstone
From this reading "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A BOY IN THE WATER.
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
English film actress who later became a member of British Parliament (born in 1936)
From this reading Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.
plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.
relating to human society and its members
From this reading He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A BOY IN THE WATER.
near that time or date
From this reading Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had an affable manner, and seemed inclined to be social.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Jackson was a slender, dark-complexioned man of forty, or thereabouts.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading A BOY IN THE WATER.
which person or people
From this reading He was fashionably dressed, and had the air of one who lives in a city.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Is this your business, ferrying passengers across the river?" he asked of Grit.
Chapter 4 of Grit by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 133 sentences of Grit, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Grit by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the 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 Grit by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4300 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54195 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54195, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 358 minutes of reading across 860 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Grit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Grit 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 Grit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
