Chapter IV of Ralph in the Switch Tower, “A Mystery,” is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter IV of Ralph in the Switch Tower, “A Mystery,” is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise. "Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?" "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely. "So your name is Fairbanks?" "Yes, Mrs. Davis."
Chapter IV of Ralph in the Switch Tower, “A Mystery,” is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
power to direct or determine
From this reading “"N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.”
English navigator who explored the Arctic while searching for the Northwest Passage (1550-1605)
From this reading “"Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?"”
United States film actor; son of Douglas Elton Fairbanks, (1909-2000)
From this reading “"So your name is Fairbanks?"”
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading “"N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.”
in a strange manner
From this reading “"N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.”
someone who visits
From this reading “Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.”
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading “"N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.”
In this reading “Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.”
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.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
power to direct or determine
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
English navigator who explored the Arctic while searching for the Northwest Passage (1550-1605)
From this reading "Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?"
United States film actor; son of Douglas Elton Fairbanks, (1909-2000)
From this reading "So your name is Fairbanks?"
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?"
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?"
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?"
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "So your name is Fairbanks?"
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So your name is Fairbanks?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
in a strange manner
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
hard to endure
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
someone who visits
From this reading Ralph looked at his switch-tower visitor in great surprise.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, Mrs. Davis," he asked, "what is the matter?"
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading "N--nothing," she stammered, trying to control herself, but her features were working strangely.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, Mrs. Davis."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "So your name is Fairbanks?"
Chapter 4 of Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman holds 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 131 sentences of Ralph in the Switch Tower, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4008 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39051 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39051, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 334 minutes of reading across 802 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ralph in the Switch Tower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Ralph in the Switch Tower 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 Ralph in the Switch Tower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
