Chapter 4 of Paul the Peddler is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Paul the Peddler is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner. “No,” said Paul, “I only sold twenty. I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.” “Why?” “There's too many that'll go into it.”
Chapter 4 of Paul the Peddler is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading “TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.”
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.”
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading “TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.”
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading “TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.”
plural of “package” — a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.”
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading “TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.”
plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)
From this reading “TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.”
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 TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.”
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “There's too many that'll go into it.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “No,” said Paul, “I only sold twenty.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “There's too many that'll go into it.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “There's too many that'll go into it.”
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading “There's too many that'll go into it.”
not any; not one
From this reading “No,” said Paul, “I only sold twenty.
and nothing more
From this reading “No,” said Paul, “I only sold twenty.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.”
plural of “package” — a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.”
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “No,” said Paul, “I only sold twenty.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
in the near future
From this reading I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.”
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There's too many that'll go into it.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There's too many that'll go into it.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.”
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “There's too many that'll go into it.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading “No,” said Paul, “I only sold twenty.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
in or at the place that
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I begin to think that the prize-package business will soon be played out.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading TEDDY GIVES UP BUSINESS “Have you sold all your packages, Paul?” asked Jimmy, as our hero entered the humble room, where the table was already spread with a simple dinner.
Chapter 4 of Paul the Peddler by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 126 sentences, grouped into 26 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 126 sentences of Paul the Peddler, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Paul the Peddler by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 Paul the Peddler by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3542 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #659 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #659, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 295 minutes of reading across 709 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Paul the Peddler section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Paul the Peddler 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 Paul the Peddler, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
