Chapter 4 of Tales of the Chesapeake is here in full — 385 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Tales of the Chesapeake is here in full — 385 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son. "See there!" he slowly spoke, "Perry is dying. Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord. Wife, Mary, we have martyred him." It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
Chapter 4 of Tales of the Chesapeake is here in full — 385 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
a line made of twisted fibers or threads
From this reading “Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.”
extremely hungry
From this reading “Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.”
past form of “martyr” — kill as a martyr
From this reading “Wife, Mary, we have martyred him."”
United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading “"See there!" he slowly spoke, "Perry is dying.”
possessive form of “perry” — United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading “It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.”
serious infection marked by intestinal inflammation and ulceration; caused by Salmonella typhosa ingested with food or water
From this reading “It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.”
an energetic style
From this reading “It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.”
any general reduction in vitality and strength of body and mind resulting from a debilitating chronic disease
From this reading “It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.”
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.
(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 Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
react verbally
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
a line made of twisted fibers or threads
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading "See there!" he slowly spoke, "Perry is dying.
a quantity much larger than is needed
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
extremely hungry
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Wife, Mary, we have martyred him."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "See there!" he slowly spoke, "Perry is dying.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Wife, Mary, we have martyred him."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "See there!" he slowly spoke, "Perry is dying.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
past form of “martyr” — kill as a martyr
From this reading Wife, Mary, we have martyred him."
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Wife, Mary, we have martyred him."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading "See there!" he slowly spoke, "Perry is dying.
possessive form of “perry” — United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "See there!" he slowly spoke, "Perry is dying.
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 Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "See there!" he slowly spoke, "Perry is dying.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
a male human offspring
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading "See there!" he slowly spoke, "Perry is dying.
lacking natural ease
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "See there!" he slowly spoke, "Perry is dying.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
serious infection marked by intestinal inflammation and ulceration; caused by Salmonella typhosa ingested with food or water
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The old man did not answer, but strained his eyes upon his son.
an energetic style
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
any general reduction in vitality and strength of body and mind resulting from a debilitating chronic disease
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Wife, Mary, we have martyred him."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was the typhoid fever which had developed from Perry's wasting vitality.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Wife, Mary, we have martyred him."
a late time of life
From this reading Famished all these years for human love, this excess of joy has snapped the silver cord.
Chapter 4 of Tales of the Chesapeake by George Alfred Townsend holds 385 sentences, grouped into 77 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 385 sentences of Tales of the Chesapeake, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tales of the Chesapeake by George Alfred Townsend exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 385 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 of the Chesapeake by George Alfred Townsend on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4238 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18126 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18126, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 848 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales of the Chesapeake section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Tales of the Chesapeake 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 of the Chesapeake, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
