Chapter 4 of Held Fast For England is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Held Fast For England is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine. "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie." "My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy. He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning." "What has he been doing?"
Chapter 4 of Held Fast For England is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."”
plural of “barrack” — a building or group of buildings used to house military personnel
From this reading “Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.”
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.”
liquid in which meat and vegetables are simmered; used as a basis for e.g. soups or sauces
From this reading “"My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy.”
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading “He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."”
approval
From this reading “He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."”
a port city in western Ireland on Galway Bay
From this reading “He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."”
the day after today
From this reading “He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."”
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 "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
any person at all
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
any thing at all
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
plural of “barrack” — a building or group of buildings used to house military personnel
From this reading Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "What has he been doing?"
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
a youthful male person
From this reading "My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy.
liquid in which meat and vegetables are simmered; used as a basis for e.g. soups or sauces
From this reading "My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
approval
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
dearly loved
From this reading "My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "What has he been doing?"
a port city in western Ireland on Galway Bay
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What has he been doing?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy.
information about recent and important events
From this reading "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
express in words
From this reading "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
the day after today
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What has he been doing?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything to the contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of a boy.
Chapter 4 of Held Fast For England by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 386 sentences of Held Fast For England, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Held Fast For England by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Held Fast For England by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6484 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21788 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21788, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 540 minutes of reading across 1297 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Held Fast For England section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Held Fast For England 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 Held Fast For England, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
