Chapter 4 of On the Borderland is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of On the Borderland is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“_Excellenz_, I implore you!” The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery. “Don’t waste any more of my time, Kranz! Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business? Look at her, I say!”
Chapter 4 of On the Borderland is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading “Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?”
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading ““_Excellenz_, I implore you!””
showing your contempt by derision
From this reading “The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.”
likely but not certain to be or become true or real
From this reading “Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?”
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.”
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.”
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading ““Don’t waste any more of my time, Kranz!”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.”
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 The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “Don’t waste any more of my time, Kranz!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t waste any more of my time, Kranz!
divisible by two
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “_Excellenz_, I implore you!”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “_Excellenz_, I implore you!”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “_Excellenz_, I implore you!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t waste any more of my time, Kranz!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
showing your contempt by derision
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Don’t waste any more of my time, Kranz!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Don’t waste any more of my time, Kranz!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
likely but not certain to be or become true or real
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
express in words
From this reading Look at her, I say!”
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “Don’t waste any more of my time, Kranz!
the act of using
From this reading Look at her--is it even probable that an imbecile creature like that can be of use in our business?
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading “Don’t waste any more of my time, Kranz!
in the company of; together with
From this reading The old man looked at him with a snarl of savage mockery.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “_Excellenz_, I implore you!”
Chapter 4 of On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of On the Borderland, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6737 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65837 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65837, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 561 minutes of reading across 1348 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On the Borderland section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of On the Borderland 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 On the Borderland, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
