Chapter 4 of Scientific Sprague is here in full — 415 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 Scientific Sprague is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Sprague smiled impassively. “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted. “You’d call it nothing more than a wild guess. Isn’t that our auto that I hear?” Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.
Chapter 4 of Scientific Sprague is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading ““I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “Isn’t that our auto that I hear?””
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading ““I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.”
in an impassive manner
From this reading “Sprague smiled impassively.”
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading ““I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.”
a cgs unit of magnetic flux equal to the flux perpendicular to an area of 1 square centimeter in a magnetic field of 1 gauss
From this reading “Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.”
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading “Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.”
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 “Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.”
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 “You’d call it nothing more than a wild guess.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Isn’t that our auto that I hear?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “You’d call it nothing more than a wild guess.
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “You’d call it nothing more than a wild guess.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Isn’t that our auto that I hear?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
in an impassive manner
From this reading Sprague smiled impassively.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Isn’t that our auto that I hear?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.
a cgs unit of magnetic flux equal to the flux perpendicular to an area of 1 square centimeter in a magnetic field of 1 gauss
From this reading Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “You’d call it nothing more than a wild guess.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “You’d call it nothing more than a wild guess.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Isn’t that our auto that I hear?”
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Sprague smiled impassively.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sprague smiled impassively.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “You’d call it nothing more than a wild guess.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading “You’d call it nothing more than a wild guess.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Maxwell stepped to a window and looked down upon the plaza.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I shouldn’t be able to convince you that it is knowledge,” he admitted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’d call it nothing more than a wild guess.
Chapter 4 of Scientific Sprague by Francis Lynde holds 415 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 415 sentences of Scientific Sprague, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Scientific Sprague by Francis Lynde exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 Scientific Sprague by Francis Lynde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Scientific Sprague section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Scientific Sprague 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 Scientific Sprague, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
