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John Barleycorn

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of John Barleycorn is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Jack London • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for John Barleycorn

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

In all our section there was only one other old American family.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/40

John Barleycorn

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of John Barleycorn is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

Line 2

This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

Line 3

Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

Line 4

It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

Line 5

In all our section there was only one other old American family.

All words in this reading · 70

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.

a

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

all

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

From this reading In all our section there was only one other old American family.

American

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

and

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

From this reading This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

at

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

From this reading This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

Barleycorn

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

bleak

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

bout

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

coast

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

countryside

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

County

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

days

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

encounter

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

From this reading This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

family

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

farming

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

fault

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

From this reading This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

Francisco

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

frightened

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

From this reading This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

had

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

heard

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

herself

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

I

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

imagination

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

From this reading This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

immigrant

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

in

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

into

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

From this reading This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

Irish

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

It

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

Italians

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

John

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

like

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

Mateo

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

mother

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

moved

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

My

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

neighbours

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

next

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

not

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

occurred

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

of

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

often

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

old

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

on

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

one

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

From this reading In all our section there was only one other old American family.

only

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

From this reading In all our section there was only one other old American family.

other

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

From this reading In all our section there was only one other old American family.

our

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

pride

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

primitive

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

ranch

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

sad

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

San

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

section

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

From this reading In all our section there was only one other old American family.

seven

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

south

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

Still

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

stock

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

that

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

the

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

From this reading This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

there

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

From this reading In all our section there was only one other old American family.

This

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

From this reading This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

those

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

time

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

From this reading This time my imagination was at fault, and I was frightened into the encounter.

to

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

From this reading Still farming, my family had moved to a ranch on the bleak sad coast of San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

was

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

we

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

were

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

when

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

wild

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

From this reading It was a wild, primitive countryside in those days; and often I heard my mother pride herself that we were old American stock and not immigrant Irish and Italians like our neighbours.

with

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

From this reading My next bout with John Barleycorn occurred when I was seven.

Chapter 4 of John Barleycorn by Jack London holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 John Barleycorn contain?

Chapter 4 holds 202 sentences of John Barleycorn, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of John Barleycorn by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 John Barleycorn?

Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 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.

Questions about reading John Barleycorn

Common questions about reading John Barleycorn by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of John Barleycorn?

Yes. All 3960 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #318 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of John Barleycorn is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #318, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does John Barleycorn take to read?

About 330 minutes of reading across 792 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read John Barleycorn section by section

How to work through John Barleycorn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 39 chapters of John Barleycorn to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in John Barleycorn

Words and structures a reader meets early in John Barleycorn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Election: A word that appears in the opening chapter of John Barleycorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
California: A word that appears in the opening chapter of John Barleycorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Afternoon: A word that appears in the opening chapter of John Barleycorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ridden: A word that appears in the opening chapter of John Barleycorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.