Chapter 4 of Hector's Inheritance is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Hector's Inheritance is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described. Was he not Hector Roscoe, after all? Had he been all his life under a mistake? If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name? Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
Chapter 4 of Hector's Inheritance is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading “Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.”
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading “Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.”
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading “Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.”
past form of “impart” — transmit (knowledge or skills)
From this reading “Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?”
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading “Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “Had he been all his life under a mistake?”
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading “If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name?”
required or under orders
From this reading “Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?”
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 Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
later than; following
From this reading Was he not Hector Roscoe, after all?
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Was he not Hector Roscoe, after all?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had he been all his life under a mistake?
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had he been all his life under a mistake?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Was he not Hector Roscoe, after all?
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Had he been all his life under a mistake?
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name?
past form of “impart” — transmit (knowledge or skills)
From this reading Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Had he been all his life under a mistake?
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading Had he been all his life under a mistake?
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Was he not Hector Roscoe, after all?
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name?
required or under orders
From this reading Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name?
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Had he been all his life under a mistake?
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Hector walked out of the house in a state of mental bewilderment not easily described.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was he not Hector Roscoe, after all?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name?
which person or people
From this reading If this story were true, who was he, who were his parents, what was his name?
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why had the man whom he had supposed to be his father not imparted to him this secret?
Chapter 4 of Hector's Inheritance by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 93 sentences of Hector's Inheritance, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Hector's Inheritance by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Hector's Inheritance by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3917 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5674 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5674, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 326 minutes of reading across 784 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hector's Inheritance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Hector's Inheritance 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 Hector's Inheritance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
