Chapter 4 of Mark the Match Boy is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Mark the Match Boy is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A DIFFICULT COMMISSION. It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day. He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper. "Good-morning, Mr. Fosdick," he said, extending his hand. "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
Chapter 4 of Mark the Match Boy is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading “It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.”
British politician (born in the United States) who was the first woman to sit in the British House of Commons (1879-1964)
From this reading “It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.”
third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
From this reading “He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.”
a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading “A DIFFICULT COMMISSION.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “A DIFFICULT COMMISSION.”
-ing form of “extend” — extend in scope or range or area
From this reading “"Good-morning, Mr. Fosdick," he said, extending his hand.”
small in range or scope
From this reading “"I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."”
acting or arriving or performed exactly at the time appointed
From this reading “It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.”
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 “It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “"I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."”
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 A DIFFICULT COMMISSION.
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
British politician (born in the United States) who was the first woman to sit in the British House of Commons (1879-1964)
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
From this reading He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading A DIFFICULT COMMISSION.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading A DIFFICULT COMMISSION.
-ing form of “extend” — extend in scope or range or area
From this reading "Good-morning, Mr. Fosdick," he said, extending his hand.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
set up or found
From this reading He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good-morning, Mr. Fosdick," he said, extending his hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "Good-morning, Mr. Fosdick," he said, extending his hand.
only a very short time before
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
small in range or scope
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.
a form of address for a man
From this reading He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
on one occasion
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
above and across; more than
From this reading He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.
acting or arriving or performed exactly at the time appointed
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found Mr. Bates in the reading-room, looking over a Milwaukie paper.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
express a supposition
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It need hardly be said that Fosdick was punctual to his appointment at the Astor House on the following day.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I suppose your time is limited, therefore it will be best for us to go at once to the bank."
Chapter 4 of Mark the Match Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 104 sentences of Mark the Match Boy, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Mark the Match Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Mark the Match Boy by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3757 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53071 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53071, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 313 minutes of reading across 752 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mark the Match Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Mark the Match Boy 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 Mark the Match Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
