Chapter 4 of Renshaw Fanning's Quest is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Renshaw Fanning's Quest is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Only an iguana, Mr Sellon. My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect. I don't wonder you took him for a crocodile." "Took him for--You cheeky young dog, how do you know what I took him for?" "Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!
Chapter 4 of Renshaw Fanning's Quest is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 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.
offensively bold
From this reading “"Took him for--You cheeky young dog, how do you know what I took him for?"”
large voracious aquatic reptile having a long snout with massive jaws and sharp teeth and a body covered with bony plates; of sluggish tropical waters
From this reading “I don't wonder you took him for a crocodile."”
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “"Took him for--You cheeky young dog, how do you know what I took him for?"”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.”
large herbivorous tropical American arboreal lizards with a spiny crest along the back; used as human food in Central America and South America
From this reading “"Only an iguana, Mr Sellon.”
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading “"Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!”
not embarrassed
From this reading “"Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!”
poor and often mischievous city child
From this reading “"Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!”
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.
In this reading “My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.”
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 My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Only an iguana, Mr Sellon.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
offensively bold
From this reading "Took him for--You cheeky young dog, how do you know what I took him for?"
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!
large voracious aquatic reptile having a long snout with massive jaws and sharp teeth and a body covered with bony plates; of sluggish tropical waters
From this reading I don't wonder you took him for a crocodile."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Took him for--You cheeky young dog, how do you know what I took him for?"
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading "Took him for--You cheeky young dog, how do you know what I took him for?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't wonder you took him for a crocodile."
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I don't wonder you took him for a crocodile."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I don't wonder you took him for a crocodile."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Took him for--You cheeky young dog, how do you know what I took him for?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
large herbivorous tropical American arboreal lizards with a spiny crest along the back; used as human food in Central America and South America
From this reading "Only an iguana, Mr Sellon.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Took him for--You cheeky young dog, how do you know what I took him for?"
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Only an iguana, Mr Sellon.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!
and nothing more
From this reading "Only an iguana, Mr Sellon.
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading "Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Only an iguana, Mr Sellon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading I don't wonder you took him for a crocodile."
an organization of independent states formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security
From this reading My! but he's a big un; five feet at least, I expect.
not embarrassed
From this reading "Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!
poor and often mischievous city child
From this reading "Come now, that's good!" retorted the urchin, unabashed, "My!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Took him for--You cheeky young dog, how do you know what I took him for?"
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I don't wonder you took him for a crocodile."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I don't wonder you took him for a crocodile."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Took him for--You cheeky young dog, how do you know what I took him for?"
Chapter 4 of Renshaw Fanning's Quest by Bertram Mitford holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Renshaw Fanning's Quest, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Renshaw Fanning's Quest by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Renshaw Fanning's Quest by Bertram Mitford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4856 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32919 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32919, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 972 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Renshaw Fanning's Quest section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Renshaw Fanning's Quest 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 Renshaw Fanning's Quest, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
