Chapter 4 of Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Burton appeared to grow strongly excited. "I say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice. "You say so? And, pray, upon what authority?" "Upon the authority of your own words."
Chapter 4 of Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.”
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading “And, pray, upon what authority?"”
English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading “Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.”
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading “Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.”
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading “Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.”
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “"I say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice.”
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “And, pray, upon what authority?"”
with strength or in a strong manner
From this reading “Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.”
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 say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And, pray, upon what authority?"
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading And, pray, upon what authority?"
English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "I say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice.
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading "I say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Upon the authority of your own words."
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "Upon the authority of your own words."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice.
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading And, pray, upon what authority?"
express in words
From this reading "I say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice.
with strength or in a strong manner
From this reading Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Upon the authority of your own words."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Burton appeared to grow strongly excited.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading And, pray, upon what authority?"
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "I say so," cried Perkins in a loud voice.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And, pray, upon what authority?"
the words that are spoken
From this reading "Upon the authority of your own words."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You say so?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Upon the authority of your own words."
Chapter 4 of Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 394 sentences of Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3171 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4624 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4624, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 264 minutes of reading across 635 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor 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 Off-Hand Sketches, a Little Dashed with Humor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
