Chapter 4 of Quick Action is here in full — 410 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 Quick Action is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough. But real life is stranger than fiction." "Not in the British Isles," she said with decision. "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it." "No, you are mistaken!
Chapter 4 of Quick Action is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading “"Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.”
show in, or as in, a picture
From this reading “"It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."”
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading “But real life is stranger than fiction."”
plural of “isle” — a small island
From this reading “"Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.”
plural of “kennel” — outbuilding that serves as a shelter for a dog
From this reading “"It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."”
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading “"Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.”
plural of “stable” — a farm building for housing horses or other livestock
From this reading “"It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."”
plural of “writer” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “"It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."”
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.
the practical world as opposed to the academic world
In this reading “But real life is stranger than fiction."”
In this reading “"Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.”
In this reading “"Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.”
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 "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
later than; following
From this reading "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
(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 "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "No, you are mistaken!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
the people of Great Britain
From this reading "Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But real life is stranger than fiction."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading "Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.
show in, or as in, a picture
From this reading "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading But real life is stranger than fiction."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
plural of “isle” — a small island
From this reading "Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
plural of “kennel” — outbuilding that serves as a shelter for a dog
From this reading "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading But real life is stranger than fiction."
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading "No, you are mistaken!
a particular point in time
From this reading "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, you are mistaken!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading But real life is stranger than fiction."
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.
plural of “stable” — a farm building for housing horses or other livestock
From this reading "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading But real life is stranger than fiction."
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But real life is stranger than fiction."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
(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 "Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Not in the British Isles," she said with decision.
plural of “writer” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading "It _is_ tea and curates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "No, you are mistaken!
Chapter 4 of Quick Action by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers holds 410 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 410 sentences of Quick Action, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Quick Action by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 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 Quick Action by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4177 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37528 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37528, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 348 minutes of reading across 836 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Quick Action section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Quick Action 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 Quick Action, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
