Chapter 4 of Sense of Obligation is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Sense of Obligation is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down. He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before. The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms. Her skin was flushed pink. Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.
Chapter 4 of Sense of Obligation is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 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.
closing the eyes intermittently and rapidly
From this reading “Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.”
the condition of not containing or being covered by a liquid (especially water)
From this reading “Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.”
having the pinkish flush of health
From this reading “Her skin was flushed pink.”
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading “Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.”
the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers
From this reading “Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.”
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading “The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.”
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading “Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.”
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.”
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 “The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.”
In this reading “The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.”
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.
anew
From this reading He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before.
completely unclothed
From this reading The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before.
closing the eyes intermittently and rapidly
From this reading Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.
the condition of not containing or being covered by a liquid (especially water)
From this reading Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.
having the pinkish flush of health
From this reading Her skin was flushed pink.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.
held up in the air
From this reading He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.
the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers
From this reading Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.
a light shade of red
From this reading Her skin was flushed pink.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.
cut with a saw
From this reading Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading Her skin was flushed pink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He lifted and carried her again as he had the night before.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Brion blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading The hot touch of her body shocked his bare arms.
having come into contact
From this reading Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her skin was flushed pink.
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading Wiping his palm free of sweat and sand he touched her skin and felt the ominous hot dryness.
Chapter 4 of Sense of Obligation by Harry Harrison holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Sense of Obligation, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Sense of Obligation by Harry Harrison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Sense of Obligation by Harry Harrison on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4454 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35204 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35204, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 371 minutes of reading across 891 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sense of Obligation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Sense of Obligation 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 Sense of Obligation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
