Chapter IV of Tattered Tom, “The Siege,” is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter IV of Tattered Tom, “The Siege,” is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.” “You can’t get at me,” said Tom, triumphantly. The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously. But the lock resisted her efforts. Tom’s spirit was up, and she rather enjoyed it.
Chapter IV of Tattered Tom, “The Siege,” is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading ““Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.””
past form of “grasp” — hold firmly
From this reading “The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.”
a circular rounded projection or protuberance
From this reading “The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.”
past form of “resist” — elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading “But the lock resisted her efforts.”
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading ““Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.””
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
in a triumphant manner
From this reading ““You can’t get at me,” said Tom, triumphantly.”
with vigor; in a vigorous manner
From this reading “The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.”
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 ““Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.””
a woman who is old
In this reading “The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.”
In this reading ““Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.””
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You can’t get at me,” said Tom, triumphantly.
next to; at the side of
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the lock resisted her efforts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You can’t get at me,” said Tom, triumphantly.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading But the lock resisted her efforts.
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading Tom’s spirit was up, and she rather enjoyed it.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “You can’t get at me,” said Tom, triumphantly.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
past form of “grasp” — hold firmly
From this reading The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But the lock resisted her efforts.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
a circular rounded projection or protuberance
From this reading The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.
fasten with a lock
From this reading But the lock resisted her efforts.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You can’t get at me,” said Tom, triumphantly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
on the contrary
From this reading Tom’s spirit was up, and she rather enjoyed it.
past form of “resist” — elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading But the lock resisted her efforts.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You can’t get at me,” said Tom, triumphantly.
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Tom’s spirit was up, and she rather enjoyed it.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading Tom’s spirit was up, and she rather enjoyed it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
male cat
From this reading “You can’t get at me,” said Tom, triumphantly.
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading Tom’s spirit was up, and she rather enjoyed it.
in a triumphant manner
From this reading “You can’t get at me,” said Tom, triumphantly.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Tom’s spirit was up, and she rather enjoyed it.
with vigor; in a vigorous manner
From this reading The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tom’s spirit was up, and she rather enjoyed it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The old woman grasped the knob of the door and shook it vigorously.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Open the door,” screamed granny, beside herself with rage, “or I’ll kill you.”
Chapter 4 of Tattered Tom by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 135 sentences of Tattered Tom, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tattered Tom by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Tattered Tom by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3613 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54006 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54006, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 301 minutes of reading across 723 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tattered Tom section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Tattered Tom 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 Tattered Tom, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
