Chapter 4 of Looking Forward is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Looking Forward is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Cuban Question Settled. The wretches who blew up the Maine. America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment. Cuban native government not a success. Joins our Union in 1910.
Chapter 4 of Looking Forward is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading “America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.”
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading “America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.”
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading “The wretches who blew up the Maine.”
of or relating to or characteristic of Cuba or the people of Cuba
From this reading “The Cuban Question Settled.”
plural of “join” — the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
From this reading “Joins our Union in 1910.”
a state in New England
From this reading “The wretches who blew up the Maine.”
the act of punishing
From this reading “America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.”
an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer
From this reading “Joins our Union in 1910.”
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.
cause to burst with a violent release of energy
In this reading “The wretches who blew up the Maine.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joins our Union in 1910.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Cuban native government not a success.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading The wretches who blew up the Maine.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.
of or relating to or characteristic of Cuba or the people of Cuba
From this reading The Cuban Question Settled.
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading Cuban native government not a success.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.
plural of “join” — the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
From this reading Joins our Union in 1910.
a state in New England
From this reading The wretches who blew up the Maine.
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading Cuban native government not a success.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Cuban native government not a success.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Joins our Union in 1910.
the act of punishing
From this reading America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The Cuban Question Settled.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading The Cuban Question Settled.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading Cuban native government not a success.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Cuban Question Settled.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading America is slow to anger but terrible in punishment.
an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer
From this reading Joins our Union in 1910.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The wretches who blew up the Maine.
which person or people
From this reading The wretches who blew up the Maine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wretches who blew up the Maine.
Chapter 4 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird holds 31 sentences, grouped into 7 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 31 sentences of Looking Forward, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 31 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 Looking Forward by Arthur Bird on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50148 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50148, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 190 minutes of reading across 458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Looking Forward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Looking Forward 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 Looking Forward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
