Chapter 4 of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age. It is the curse of the nation. There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts. How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party? Just look at things in this city today.
Chapter 4 of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.”
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading “This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.”
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “It is the curse of the nation.”
intentional deception resulting in injury to another person
From this reading “This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.”
plural of “last” — the temporal end; the concluding time
From this reading “There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts.”
plural of “office” — place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?”
love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it
From this reading “There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts.”
the present time or age
From this reading “Just look at things in this city today.”
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.
how long something has existed
From this reading This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Just look at things in this city today.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts.
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Just look at things in this city today.
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading It is the curse of the nation.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
intentional deception resulting in injury to another person
From this reading This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is the curse of the nation.
and nothing more
From this reading Just look at things in this city today.
plural of “last” — the temporal end; the concluding time
From this reading There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Just look at things in this city today.
the force of workers available
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading It is the curse of the nation.
not any; not one
From this reading There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.
plural of “office” — place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
an organization to gain political power
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it
From this reading There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
in or at that place or location
From this reading There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Just look at things in this city today.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
the present time or age
From this reading Just look at things in this city today.
at the time that
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
during the time that
From this reading There can't be no real patriotism while it lasts.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading How are you goin' to interest our young men in their country if you have no offices to give them when they work for their party?
Chapter 4 of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by George Washington Plunkitt holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 97 sentences of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by George Washington Plunkitt exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by George Washington Plunkitt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1506 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2810 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2810, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 125 minutes of reading across 302 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plunkitt of Tammany Hall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall 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 Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
