Chapter 4 of Not Quite Eighteen is here in full — 409 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 Not Quite Eighteen is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife. "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready. Why, we've had orders from as far off as Australia! China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands. There's no end to the money that's in it."
Chapter 4 of Not Quite Eighteen is here in full — 409 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.
a nation occupying the whole of the Australian continent; Aboriginal tribes are thought to have migrated from southeastern Asia 20,000 years ago; first Europeans were British convicts sent there as a penal colony
From this reading “Why, we've had orders from as far off as Australia!”
a person who eats human flesh
From this reading “China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands.”
plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading “"The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.”
past form of “fetch” — go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading “"We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.”
plural of “island” — a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading “China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands.”
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading “Why, we've had orders from as far off as Australia!”
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading “"The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.”
possessive form of “stock” — the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading “"The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.”
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.
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.
(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 "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
a nation occupying the whole of the Australian continent; Aboriginal tribes are thought to have migrated from southeastern Asia 20,000 years ago; first Europeans were British convicts sent there as a penal colony
From this reading Why, we've had orders from as far off as Australia!
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
a person who eats human flesh
From this reading China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands.
plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading There's no end to the money that's in it."
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Why, we've had orders from as far off as Australia!
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
past form of “fetch” — go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading "We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Why, we've had orders from as far off as Australia!
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
the act of departing
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Why, we've had orders from as far off as Australia!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There's no end to the money that's in it."
plural of “island” — a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading There's no end to the money that's in it."
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands.
not any; not one
From this reading There's no end to the money that's in it."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Why, we've had orders from as far off as Australia!
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands.
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Why, we've had orders from as far off as Australia!
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
possessive form of “stock” — the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
express a supposition
From this reading China'll come next, I suppose, or the Cannibal Islands.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's no end to the money that's in it."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's no end to the money that's in it."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There's no end to the money that's in it."
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "The stock's going up like all possessed, and the dolls are going out as fast as we can get them ready.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, we've had orders from as far off as Australia!
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "We've fetched it this time, Mother," he told his wife.
Chapter 4 of Not Quite Eighteen by Susan Coolidge holds 409 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 409 sentences of Not Quite Eighteen, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Not Quite Eighteen by Susan Coolidge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 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 Not Quite Eighteen by Susan Coolidge on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33927 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33927, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 206 minutes of reading across 496 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Not Quite Eighteen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Not Quite Eighteen 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 Not Quite Eighteen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
