Chapter 4 of On the Iron at Big Cloud is here in full — 424 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 Iron at Big Cloud is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic. “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken. “Yes,” said Regan weakly to himself. “That’s it. I got it right--firing!
Chapter 4 of On the Iron at Big Cloud is here in full — 424 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.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading ““Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.”
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading ““Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.”
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading ““Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic.”
a craftsman skilled in operating machine tools
From this reading ““Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic.”
thrust or throw into
From this reading ““Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.”
recurring again and again
From this reading ““Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.”
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading ““Yes,” said Regan weakly to himself.”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading ““Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic.”
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.
anew
From this reading “Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I got it right--firing!
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Yes,” said Regan weakly to himself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I got it right--firing!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic.
a craftsman skilled in operating machine tools
From this reading “Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
thrust or throw into
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes,” said Regan weakly to himself.
recurring again and again
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
precisely, exactly
From this reading I got it right--firing!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes,” said Regan weakly to himself.
express in words
From this reading “Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Yes,” said Regan weakly to himself.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading “Yes,” said Regan weakly to himself.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “Say it again,” whispered the master mechanic.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Firing,” repeated Spitzer, with more confidence now that the plunge was taken.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” said Regan weakly to himself.
Chapter 4 of On the Iron at Big Cloud by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard holds 424 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 424 sentences of On the Iron at Big Cloud, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of On the Iron at Big Cloud by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 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 Iron at Big Cloud by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5491 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54111 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54111, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 457 minutes of reading across 1099 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On the Iron at Big Cloud section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of On the Iron at Big Cloud 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 Iron at Big Cloud, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
