Stories by English Authors — London

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Stories by English Authors — London is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By F. [Contributor] Anstey • Curated US English Learning Edition

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But I couldn’t.

I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

“Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

“Never did such a thing in his life!” said the colonel, warmly; “he rushed off after a rat or a frog or something a few minutes ago, and as I stopped to light another cheroot I lost sight of him.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/40

Stories by English Authors — London F. [Contributor] Anstey

Chapter IV

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Stories by English Authors — London is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

But I couldn’t. I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then. I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions. “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?” “Never did such a thing in his life!” said the colonel, warmly; “he rushed off after a rat or a frog or something a few minutes ago, and as I stopped to light another cheroot I lost sight of him.

Stories by English Authors — London

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Stories by English Authors — London is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

But I couldn’t.

Line 2

I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

Line 3

I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

/aɪ felt aɪ mʌst juːs ɔːl maɪ wɪts tuː ɡeɪn taɪm ənd fens wɪð ðə ˈkwestʃənz/

Line 4

“Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

Line 5

Learner Dictionary

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.

fence verb US /fens/

enclose with a fence

From this reading “I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.”

frog noun US /frɑːɡ/

any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species

From this reading ““Never did such a thing in his life!” said the colonel, warmly; “he rushed off after a rat or a frog or something a few minutes ago, and as I stopped to light another cheroot I lost sight of him.”

gain verb US /ɡeɪn/

obtain

From this reading “I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.”

leaden adjective US /ˈledən/

darkened with overcast

From this reading ““Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?””

rat noun US /ræt/

any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse

slip verb US /slɪp/

move stealthily

From this reading ““Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?””

warmly adverb US /ˈwɔːrmli/

in a hearty manner

wits noun US /wɪts/

the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception

From this reading “I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “Never did such a thing in his life!” said the colonel, warmly; “he rushed off after a rat or a frog or something a few minutes ago, and as I stopped to light another cheroot I lost sight of him.

agoadverbUS /əˈɡoʊ/

in the past

airinessnoun

the property of something spacious and abounding in fresh air

From this reading “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But I couldn’t.

cherootnoun

a cigar with both ends cut flat

colonelnounUS /ˈkɜːrnəl/

a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

couldn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But I couldn’t.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

fenceverbUS /fens/

enclose with a fence

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

formnounUS /fɔːrm/

the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

frognounUS /frɑːɡ/

any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species

gainverbUS /ɡeɪn/

obtain

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

hasn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading But I couldn’t.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

leadenadjectiveUS /ˈledən/

darkened with overcast

From this reading “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

minutesnounUS /ˈmɪnəts/

a written account of what transpired at a meeting

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

NeveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

preparedadjectiveUS /priˈperd/

made ready or fit or suitable beforehand

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

questionsnounUS /ˈkwestʃənz/

plural of “question” — an instance of questioning

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

ratnounUS /ræt/

any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse

rushedadjectiveUS /rʌʃt/

done under pressure

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

slipverbUS /slɪp/

move stealthily

From this reading “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

stoppedadjectiveUS /stɑːpt/

(of a nose) blocked

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

usenounUS /juːs/

the act of using

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

warmlyadverbUS /ˈwɔːrmli/

in a hearty manner

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

witsnounUS /wɪts/

the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception

From this reading I felt I must use all my wits to gain time, and fence with the questions.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading I could have told him at my own time, in a prepared form of words--but not then.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Why,” I said, with a leaden airiness, “he hasn’t given you the slip, has he?”

Chapter 4 of Stories by English Authors — London by F. [Contributor] Anstey holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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.

What does chapter 4 of Stories by English Authors — London contain?

Chapter 4 holds 203 sentences of Stories by English Authors — London, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Stories by English Authors — London by F. [Contributor] Anstey exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Stories by English Authors — London?

Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Yes. All 2349 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2135 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #2135, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 195 minutes of reading across 470 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter IV · Chapter 4

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