Chapter 4 of Over the Border: A Novel is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Over the Border: A Novel is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You she'dn't do it. It's--hard on the nerves. Keep it up an'--you'll drive your custom away." Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk. Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.
Chapter 4 of Over the Border: A Novel is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 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.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.”
a state at a particular time
From this reading “Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.”
accepted or habitual practice
From this reading “Keep it up an'--you'll drive your custom away."”
showing or giving mercy
From this reading “Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.”
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading “It's--hard on the nerves.”
a stipulated condition
From this reading “Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.”
-ing form of “realize” — be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading “Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.”
put a saddle on
From this reading “Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.”
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.
In this reading “Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.”
In this reading “Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.”
In this reading “Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.”
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 Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
later than; following
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Keep it up an'--you'll drive your custom away."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Keep it up an'--you'll drive your custom away."
for the reason that
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
a state at a particular time
From this reading Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.
accepted or habitual practice
From this reading Keep it up an'--you'll drive your custom away."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "You she'dn't do it.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading Keep it up an'--you'll drive your custom away."
the act of departing
From this reading Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It's--hard on the nerves.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "You she'dn't do it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's--hard on the nerves.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Keep it up an'--you'll drive your custom away."
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.
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 Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
showing or giving mercy
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading It's--hard on the nerves.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It's--hard on the nerves.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
a stipulated condition
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
-ing form of “realize” — be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading Realizing his condition, he left the business of going home to his horse.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
put a saddle on
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You she'dn't do it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It's--hard on the nerves.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Keep it up an'--you'll drive your custom away."
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Having climbed into the saddle, he remained there because of that merciful provision of nature by which a man may ride long after he has lost the power to walk.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You she'dn't do it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Keep it up an'--you'll drive your custom away."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Keep it up an'--you'll drive your custom away."
Chapter 4 of Over the Border: A Novel by Herman Whitaker holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of Over the Border: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Over the Border: A Novel by Herman Whitaker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Over the Border: A Novel by Herman Whitaker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8009 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40600 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40600, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1602 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Over the Border: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Over the Border: A Novel 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 Over the Border: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
