Chapter 4 of Peter Trawl is here in full — 425 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 Peter Trawl is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The empty keg was brought. "I thought so," remarked the captain. "An axe was used to prise it open. Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?" There was no reply for some time.
Chapter 4 of Peter Trawl is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
From this reading “"An axe was used to prise it open.”
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “"I thought so," remarked the captain.”
make void or empty of contents
From this reading “The empty keg was brought.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"”
the quantity contained in a keg
From this reading “The empty keg was brought.”
a simple machine consisting of a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run to change the direction or point of application of a force applied to the rope
From this reading “Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"”
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading “"I thought so," remarked the captain.”
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “There was no reply for some time.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "An axe was used to prise it open.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"
an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
From this reading "An axe was used to prise it open.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The empty keg was brought.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "I thought so," remarked the captain.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"
make void or empty of contents
From this reading The empty keg was brought.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was no reply for some time.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I thought so," remarked the captain.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "An axe was used to prise it open.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"
the quantity contained in a keg
From this reading The empty keg was brought.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no reply for some time.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"
To move from a closed position.
From this reading "An axe was used to prise it open.
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading "An axe was used to prise it open.
a simple machine consisting of a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run to change the direction or point of application of a force applied to the rope
From this reading Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "I thought so," remarked the captain.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading There was no reply for some time.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I thought so," remarked the captain.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading There was no reply for some time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The empty keg was brought.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no reply for some time.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought so," remarked the captain.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading There was no reply for some time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "An axe was used to prise it open.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading "An axe was used to prise it open.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The empty keg was brought.
Chapter 4 of Peter Trawl by William Henry Giles Kingston holds 425 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 425 sentences of Peter Trawl, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Peter Trawl by William Henry Giles Kingston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 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 Peter Trawl by William Henry Giles Kingston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5547 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21475 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21475, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 462 minutes of reading across 1110 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Peter Trawl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Peter Trawl 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 Peter Trawl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
