Chapter 4 of Lightnin' is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Lightnin' is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
With a laugh, Marvin shut the door. "It's all right," he said, winking at Harper. Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him. "Hello, Lightnin'!" he exclaimed. "I'm mighty glad to see you.
Chapter 4 of Lightnin' is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.”
someone who plays the harp
From this reading “"It's all right," he said, winking at Harper.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “"Hello, Lightnin'!" he exclaimed.”
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading “"I'm mighty glad to see you.”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “With a laugh, Marvin shut the door.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.”
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading “"It's all right," he said, winking at Harper.”
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 “With a laugh, Marvin shut the door.”
move upward
In this reading “Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.”
In this reading “With a laugh, Marvin shut the door.”
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 With a laugh, Marvin shut the door.
(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 "It's all right," he said, winking at Harper.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "It's all right," he said, winking at Harper.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading With a laugh, Marvin shut the door.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Hello, Lightnin'!" he exclaimed.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "I'm mighty glad to see you.
someone who plays the harp
From this reading "It's all right," he said, winking at Harper.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It's all right," he said, winking at Harper.
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hello, Lightnin'!" he exclaimed.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm mighty glad to see you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's all right," he said, winking at Harper.
the sound of laughing
From this reading With a laugh, Marvin shut the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hello, Lightnin'!" he exclaimed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a laugh, Marvin shut the door.
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading "I'm mighty glad to see you.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "It's all right," he said, winking at Harper.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It's all right," he said, winking at Harper.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I'm mighty glad to see you.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading With a laugh, Marvin shut the door.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading With a laugh, Marvin shut the door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Smiling, he went up to Bill and swung him around to face him.
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading "It's all right," he said, winking at Harper.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With a laugh, Marvin shut the door.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I'm mighty glad to see you.
Chapter 4 of Lightnin' by Frank Bacon holds 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 201 sentences of Lightnin', unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Lightnin' by Frank Bacon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 201 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.
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.
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 Lightnin' by Frank Bacon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3684 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34280 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34280, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 307 minutes of reading across 737 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lightnin' section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Lightnin' 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 Lightnin', each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
