Chapter 4 of Smoke Bellew is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Smoke Bellew is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat." "Plain Smoke--cut out the Mister," Kit suggested. Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man. Shorty looked significantly at his companion. "Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.
Chapter 4 of Smoke Bellew is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading “Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “"Plain Smoke--cut out the Mister," Kit suggested.”
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading “"Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “"Plain Smoke--cut out the Mister," Kit suggested.”
any cohesive unit such as a military company
From this reading “"Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.”
abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress
From this reading “Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.”
in a statistically significant way
From this reading “Shorty looked significantly at his companion.”
a United States unit of weight equivalent to 2000 pounds
From this reading “"Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.”
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 Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Shorty looked significantly at his companion.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading Shorty looked significantly at his companion.
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading "Plain Smoke--cut out the Mister," Kit suggested.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Shorty looked significantly at his companion.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading "Plain Smoke--cut out the Mister," Kit suggested.
bestow a quality on
From this reading "Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Shorty looked significantly at his companion.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Plain Smoke--cut out the Mister," Kit suggested.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Plain Smoke--cut out the Mister," Kit suggested.
any cohesive unit such as a military company
From this reading "Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.
above and across; more than
From this reading "Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.
abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading "Plain Smoke--cut out the Mister," Kit suggested.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
in a statistically significant way
From this reading Shorty looked significantly at his companion.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
past form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "Plain Smoke--cut out the Mister," Kit suggested.
plural of “tent” — a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
a United States unit of weight equivalent to 2000 pounds
From this reading "Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Over a ton and a half of outfit, and they won't lend a hand.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, Shorty, you and Mr Smoke had better begin loading the boat."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Sprague nodded curtly and strolled away among the tents, to be followed by Doctor Stine, a slender, pallid young man.
Chapter 4 of Smoke Bellew by Jack London holds 245 sentences, grouped into 49 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 245 sentences of Smoke Bellew, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Smoke Bellew by Jack London exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 245 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 Smoke Bellew by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3407 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1596 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1596, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 682 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Smoke Bellew section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Smoke Bellew 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 Smoke Bellew, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
