Chapter 4 of On the Firing Line is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 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 Firing Line is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Some day, perhaps. I would be willing to wait for that." Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table. Then she shook her head. "You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.
Chapter 4 of On the Firing Line is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading “Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.”
of or relating to Canada or its people
From this reading “Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.”
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.”
with low volume
From this reading “"You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.”
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading “Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.”
disposed or inclined toward
From this reading “I would be willing to wait for that."”
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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I would be willing to wait for that."
of or relating to Canada or its people
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Some day, perhaps.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I would be willing to wait for that."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Then she shook her head.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I would be willing to wait for that."
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
by chance
From this reading "Some day, perhaps.
with low volume
From this reading "You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then she shook her head.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Then she shook her head.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Some day, perhaps.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I would be willing to wait for that."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she shook her head.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I would be willing to wait for that."
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading I would be willing to wait for that."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.
disposed or inclined toward
From this reading I would be willing to wait for that."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I would be willing to wait for that."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You will not have to wait long, Mr. Weldon?" she said quietly.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Gravely her glance roved from the alert young Canadian at her side to the older, more steadfast face across the table.
Chapter 4 of On the Firing Line by Anna Chapin Ray holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of On the Firing Line, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of On the Firing Line by Anna Chapin Ray exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Firing Line by Anna Chapin Ray on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4556 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3605 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3605, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 379 minutes of reading across 912 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On the Firing Line section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of On the Firing Line 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 Firing Line, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
