Chapter 4 of Kangaroo is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Kangaroo is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“It may be,” said Somers slowly. “I am neither a financier nor a politician. It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of. It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital. But also it may not be.
Chapter 4 of Kangaroo is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading “It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.”
plural of “class” — a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading “It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.”
small farmers and tenants
From this reading “It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.”
the commercial activity of providing funds and capital
From this reading “It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.”
a person skilled in large scale financial transactions
From this reading ““I am neither a financier nor a politician.”
plural of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.”
a leader engaged in civil administration
From this reading ““I am neither a financier nor a politician.”
hit hard
From this reading “It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.”
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.
the social class between the lower and upper classes
In this reading “It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.”
In this reading “It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.”
In this reading “It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.”
In this reading “It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.”
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 “I am neither a financier nor a politician.
in addition
From this reading But also it may not be.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am neither a financier nor a politician.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “It may be,” said Somers slowly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But also it may not be.
assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
plural of “class” — a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.
small farmers and tenants
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
the commercial activity of providing funds and capital
From this reading It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.
a person skilled in large scale financial transactions
From this reading “I am neither a financier nor a politician.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am neither a financier nor a politician.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It may be,” said Somers slowly.
plural of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “It may be,” said Somers slowly.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading “I am neither a financier nor a politician.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
not any; not one
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading “I am neither a financier nor a politician.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But also it may not be.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
a leader engaged in civil administration
From this reading “I am neither a financier nor a politician.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “It may be,” said Somers slowly.
Identical; not different.
From this reading It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “It may be,” said Somers slowly.
hit hard
From this reading It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It may be,” said Somers slowly.
express in speech
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
a special situation
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It seems as if the next thing to come a cropper were capital: now there are no more kings to speak of.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It may be the middle classes are coming smash--which is the same thing as finance--as capital.
Chapter 4 of Kangaroo by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of Kangaroo, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Kangaroo by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Kangaroo by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11820 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59848 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59848, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2364 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Kangaroo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Kangaroo 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 Kangaroo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
