Chapter 4 of Rudder Grange is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Rudder Grange is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I have spoken of my pistol. During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol. But it was different now. I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom. The cause of this change was burglars.
Chapter 4 of Rudder Grange is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading “I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.”
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading “The cause of this change was burglars.”
possessive form of “colt” — a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading “I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.”
a boxlike container in a piece of furniture; made so as to slide in and out
From this reading “I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.”
an outlying farm
From this reading “During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.”
-ing form of “own” — have ownership or possession of
From this reading “During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.”
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading “I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.”
a hinged vertical airfoil mounted at the tail of an aircraft and used to make horizontal course changes
From this reading “During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.”
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 During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading The cause of this change was burglars.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was different now.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading The cause of this change was burglars.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading The cause of this change was burglars.
possessive form of “colt” — a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading But it was different now.
a boxlike container in a piece of furniture; made so as to slide in and out
From this reading I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
an outlying farm
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have spoken of my pistol.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have spoken of my pistol.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was different now.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.
filled with a great quantity
From this reading I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I have spoken of my pistol.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But it was different now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I have spoken of my pistol.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
-ing form of “own” — have ownership or possession of
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading I have spoken of my pistol.
any address at which you dwell more than temporarily
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading I kept a Colt's revolver loaded in the bureau drawer in our bedroom.
a hinged vertical airfoil mounted at the tail of an aircraft and used to make horizontal course changes
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading I have spoken of my pistol.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
a special situation
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The cause of this change was burglars.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading During the early part of our residence at Rudder Grange I never thought of such a thing as owning a pistol.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But it was different now.
Chapter 4 of Rudder Grange by Frank R. Stockton holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 186 sentences of Rudder Grange, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Rudder Grange by Frank R. Stockton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Rudder Grange by Frank R. Stockton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3942 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2011 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2011, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 328 minutes of reading across 789 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rudder Grange section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Rudder Grange 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 Rudder Grange, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
