Chapter 4 of Ranson's Folly is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Ranson's Folly is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Cahill tossed his head like an angry bull. “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho. Every trooper owns his slicker.” “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are. Don't think I am foolish.
Chapter 4 of Ranson's Folly is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
not able to be found
From this reading ““But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.”
third-person singular of “own” — have ownership or possession of
From this reading “Every trooper owns his slicker.””
a blanket-like cloak with a hole in the center for the head
From this reading ““There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading ““There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.”
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading ““There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.”
a macintosh made from cotton fabric treated with oil and pigment to make it waterproof
From this reading “Every trooper owns his slicker.””
the one or ones belonging to them
From this reading ““But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.”
a soldier in a motorized army unit
From this reading “Every trooper owns his slicker.””
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 “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Don't think I am foolish.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Cahill tossed his head like an angry bull.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading Cahill tossed his head like an angry bull.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading Cahill tossed his head like an angry bull.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cahill tossed his head like an angry bull.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every trooper owns his slicker.”
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading Don't think I am foolish.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Cahill tossed his head like an angry bull.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Cahill tossed his head like an angry bull.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Don't think I am foolish.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Cahill tossed his head like an angry bull.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
not able to be found
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
third-person singular of “own” — have ownership or possession of
From this reading Every trooper owns his slicker.”
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
a blanket-like cloak with a hole in the center for the head
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
a macintosh made from cotton fabric treated with oil and pigment to make it waterproof
From this reading Every trooper owns his slicker.”
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
the one or ones belonging to them
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Don't think I am foolish.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading Cahill tossed his head like an angry bull.
a soldier in a motorized army unit
From this reading Every trooper owns his slicker.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “But, father, we don't know that theirs are missing,” cried Miss Cahill, “and we do know that those in our store are.
in or at the place that
From this reading “There are fifty places in this post,” he protested, roughly, “where a man can get a poncho.
Chapter 4 of Ranson's Folly by Richard Harding Davis holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of Ranson's Folly, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Ranson's Folly by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Ranson's Folly by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4469 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5643 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5643, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 372 minutes of reading across 894 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ranson's Folly section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Ranson's Folly 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 Ranson's Folly, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
