Chapter 4 of Out Like a Light is here in full — 407 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 Out Like a Light is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out. He opened the door. The room was small and dark. It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack. There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.
Chapter 4 of Out Like a Light is here in full — 407 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.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.”
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “The room was small and dark.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.”
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading “There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading “He opened the door.”
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading “It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.”
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 It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The room was small and dark.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The room was small and dark.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He opened the door.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.
a rack with hooks for temporarily holding coats and hats
From this reading It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.
no person; not anyone
From this reading There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
and nothing more
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading He opened the door.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The room was small and dark.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The room was small and dark.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He opened the door.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It had a single desk in it, and three chairs, and a hatrack.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There wasn't any coat or hat on the hatrack, and there was nobody in the chairs.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, he told himself, there was only one way to find out.
Chapter 4 of Out Like a Light by Randall Garrett holds 407 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 407 sentences of Out Like a Light, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Out Like a Light by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 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 Out Like a Light by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5689 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24444 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24444, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 474 minutes of reading across 1138 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Out Like a Light section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Out Like a Light 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 Out Like a Light, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
