Chapter 4 of Hitting the line is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Hitting the line is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“OUT FOR GRAFTON!” “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform. “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously. “What do we do now? Take another train?”
Chapter 4 of Hitting the line is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading ““If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading ““Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.”
someone who is unsuccessful
From this reading ““Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading ““Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.”
a raised horizontal surface
From this reading ““Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.”
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading ““Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.”
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading ““Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.”
create by training and teaching
From this reading “Take another train?””
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 ““Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.”
In this reading ““Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Take another train?”
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
someone who is unsuccessful
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “OUT FOR GRAFTON!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “OUT FOR GRAFTON!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “What do we do now?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “OUT FOR GRAFTON!”
a raised horizontal surface
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
carry out
From this reading Take another train?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If they’ll have me,” replied Crail, looking about him curiously.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Take another train?”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “What do we do now?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do we do now?
at the time that
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do you really mean that you’re coming to Grafton?” demanded Dud when they had reached the station platform.
Chapter 4 of Hitting the line by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 162 sentences of Hitting the line, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Hitting the line by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Hitting the line by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5669 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71181 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71181, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 472 minutes of reading across 1134 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hitting the line section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Hitting the line 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 Hitting the line, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
