Hair-Breadth Escapes

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Hair-Breadth Escapes is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By H. C. (Henry Cadwallader) Adams • Curated US English Learning Edition

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They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

He then opened his eyes for a moment, gazing with the utmost bewilderment and wonder on the dress and appearance of the figures round him; and then closed them again with a low groan.

"They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

"The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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Chapter IV Reading 1/82

Hair-Breadth Escapes H. C. (Henry Cadwallader) Adams

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Hair-Breadth Escapes is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue. He then opened his eyes for a moment, gazing with the utmost bewilderment and wonder on the dress and appearance of the figures round him; and then closed them again with a low groan. "They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank. "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall. And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

Hair-Breadth Escapes

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Hair-Breadth Escapes is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

Line 2

He then opened his eyes for a moment, gazing with the utmost bewilderment and wonder on the dress and appearance of the figures round him; and then closed them again with a low groan.

/hiː ðen ˈoʊpənd hɪz aɪz fɔːr ə ˈmoʊmənt ˈɡeɪzɪŋ wɪð ðə ˈʌtmoʊst bɪˈwɪldərmənt ənd ˈwʌndər ɑːn ðə dres ənd əˈpɪrəns ʌv ðə ˈfɪɡjərz raʊnd hɪm ənd ðen kloʊzd ðem əˈɡen wɪð ə loʊ ɡroʊn/

Line 3

"They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

Line 4

"The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

/ðə stoʊnz ɑːr ˈfɪtəd raʊnd hɪm æz ˈkerfəli æz ðoʊ ðeɪ hæd bɪn ˈbɪldɪŋ ə wɔːl/

Line 5

And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

Learner Dictionary

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.

beggars noun US /ˈbeɡərz/

plural of “beggar” — a pauper who lives by begging

From this reading “"They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.”

bewilderment noun US /bɪˈwɪldərmənt/

confusion resulting from failure to understand

From this reading “He then opened his eyes for a moment, gazing with the utmost bewilderment and wonder on the dress and appearance of the figures round him; and then closed them again with a low groan.”

brandy noun US /ˈbrændi/

distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice

From this reading “They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.”

captive noun US /ˈkæptɪv/

a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

groan noun US /ɡroʊn/

an utterance expressing pain or disapproval

holed verb US /hoʊld/

past form of “hole” — hit the ball into the hole

From this reading “"They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.”

swallow verb US /ˈswɑːloʊ/

pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking

thong noun US /θɔːŋ/

leather strip that forms the flexible part of a whip

From this reading “And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

low groan adjective + noun

In this reading “He then opened his eyes for a moment, gazing with the utmost bewilderment and wonder on the dress and appearance of the figures round him; and then closed them again with a low groan.”

for a moment preposition + article + noun counted as “for … moment”

temporarily

little brandy adjective + noun

In this reading “They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.”

All words in this reading · 77

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

ableadjectiveUS /ˈeɪbəl/

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading "They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading He then opened his eyes for a moment, gazing with the utmost bewilderment and wonder on the dress and appearance of the figures round him; and then closed them again with a low groan.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

appearancenounUS /əˈpɪrəns/

outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

beggarsnounUS /ˈbeɡərz/

plural of “beggar” — a pauper who lives by begging

From this reading "They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

bewildermentnounUS /bɪˈwɪldərmənt/

confusion resulting from failure to understand

brandynounUS /ˈbrændi/

distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

breathnounUS /breθ/

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

buildingnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋ/

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

captivenounUS /ˈkæptɪv/

a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

carefullyadverbUS /ˈkerfəli/

taking care or paying attention

From this reading "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

closedadjectiveUS /kloʊzd/

not open or affording passage or access

drawverbUS /drɔː/

cause to move by pulling

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

dressverbUS /dres/

put on clothes

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

fashionnounUS /ˈfæʃən/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading "They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

fastenedadjectiveUS /ˈfæsənd/

firmly closed or secured

From this reading And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

figuresnounUS /ˈfɪɡjərz/

plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material

fittedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪtəd/

being the right size and shape to fit as desired

From this reading "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

FrankadjectiveUS /fræŋk/

characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion

From this reading "They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

freelyadverbUS /ˈfriːli/

in a free manner

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

gazingverbUS /ˈɡeɪzɪŋ/

-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes

groannounUS /ɡroʊn/

an utterance expressing pain or disapproval

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

holedverbUS /hoʊld/

past form of “hole” — hit the ball into the hole

From this reading "They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

Lavie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

lowadjectiveUS /loʊ/

less than normal in degree or intensity or amount

meantverbUS /ment/

inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading "They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

observedadjectiveUS /əbˈzɜːrvd/

discovered or determined by scientific observation

From this reading "They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

pouredverbUS /pɔːrd/

past form of “pour” — cause to run

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

releasedverbUS /riˈliːst/

past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

sidesnounUS /saɪdz/

plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

stonesnounUS /stoʊnz/

plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

swallowverbUS /ˈswɑːloʊ/

pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion," observed Frank.

thongnounUS /θɔːŋ/

leather strip that forms the flexible part of a whip

From this reading And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

tonguenounUS /tʌŋ/

a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

utmostadjectiveUS /ˈʌtmoʊst/

of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity

wallnounUS /wɔːl/

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though they had been building a wall.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which Mr Lavie poured on his tongue.

wondernounUS /ˈwʌndər/

the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising

wretch's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And, look! the poor wretch's arms are fastened by a thong to his sides.

Chapter 4 of Hair-Breadth Escapes by H. C. (Henry Cadwallader) Adams holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

What does chapter 4 of Hair-Breadth Escapes contain?

Chapter 4 holds 413 sentences of Hair-Breadth Escapes, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Hair-Breadth Escapes by H. C. (Henry Cadwallader) Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Hair-Breadth Escapes?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Common questions about reading Hair-Breadth Escapes by H. C. (Henry Cadwallader) Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Hair-Breadth Escapes?

Yes. All 5052 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33304 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #33304, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Hair-Breadth Escapes take to read?

About 421 minutes of reading across 1011 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Hair-Breadth Escapes

Words and structures a reader meets early in Hair-Breadth Escapes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Hair-breadth: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hair-Breadth Escapes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Escapes: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hair-Breadth Escapes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Adams: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hair-Breadth Escapes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Principal: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hair-Breadth Escapes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter IV

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