Chapter 4 of Tales from a Famished Land is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Tales from a Famished Land is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket. “I think they will not catch him, messieurs. He ran away a month ago, you say?” “A month ago.... But it is nothing to us, eh?
Chapter 4 of Tales from a Famished Land is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading ““I think they will not catch him, messieurs.”
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.”
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
From this reading “My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.”
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading “My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.”
plural of “monsieur” — used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading ““I think they will not catch him, messieurs.”
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “He ran away a month ago, you say?””
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.”
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading “My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.”
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 “My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.”
flee; take to one's heels; cut and run
In this reading “He ran away a month ago, you say?””
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 He ran away a month ago, you say?”
in the past
From this reading He ran away a month ago, you say?”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He ran away a month ago, you say?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it is nothing to us, eh?
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “I think they will not catch him, messieurs.
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
From this reading My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it is nothing to us, eh?
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He ran away a month ago, you say?”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I think they will not catch him, messieurs.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I think they will not catch him, messieurs.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But it is nothing to us, eh?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it is nothing to us, eh?
plural of “monsieur” — used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “I think they will not catch him, messieurs.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading He ran away a month ago, you say?”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I think they will not catch him, messieurs.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading But it is nothing to us, eh?
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading He ran away a month ago, you say?”
express in words
From this reading He ran away a month ago, you say?”
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My fingers clutched the silver disk in my pocket.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I think they will not catch him, messieurs.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “I think they will not catch him, messieurs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But it is nothing to us, eh?
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But it is nothing to us, eh?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I think they will not catch him, messieurs.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading He ran away a month ago, you say?”
Chapter 4 of Tales from a Famished Land by Edward E. (Edward Eyre) Hunt holds 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 458 sentences of Tales from a Famished Land, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tales from a Famished Land by Edward E. (Edward Eyre) Hunt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Tales from a Famished Land by Edward E. (Edward Eyre) Hunt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2332 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49709 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49709, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 194 minutes of reading across 467 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales from a Famished Land section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Tales from a Famished Land 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 Tales from a Famished Land, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
