Chapter 4 of Thankful's Inheritance is here in full — 519 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Thankful's Inheritance is here in full — 519 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Thankful opened her eyes. The sunlight was streaming in at the window. Beneath that window hens were clucking noisily. Also in the room adjoining someone was talking, protesting. “I don't know, Hannah,” said Mr. Parker's voice.
Chapter 4 of Thankful's Inheritance is here in full — 519 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/103 · 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.
-ing form of “adjoin” — lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading “Also in the room adjoining someone was talking, protesting.”
the sound made by a hen (as in calling her chicks)
From this reading “Beneath that window hens were clucking noisily.”
plural of “hen” — adult female chicken
From this reading “Beneath that window hens were clucking noisily.”
with much noise or loud and unpleasant sound
From this reading “Beneath that window hens were clucking noisily.”
possessive form of “parker” — United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
From this reading ““I don't know, Hannah,” said Mr. Parker's voice.”
-ing form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “Also in the room adjoining someone was talking, protesting.”
exuding a bodily fluid in profuse amounts
From this reading “The sunlight was streaming in at the window.”
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading “Thankful opened her eyes.”
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.
-ing form of “adjoin” — lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading Also in the room adjoining someone was talking, protesting.
in addition
From this reading Also in the room adjoining someone was talking, protesting.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The sunlight was streaming in at the window.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading Beneath that window hens were clucking noisily.
the sound made by a hen (as in calling her chicks)
From this reading Beneath that window hens were clucking noisily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don't know, Hannah,” said Mr. Parker's voice.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Thankful opened her eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don't know, Hannah,” said Mr. Parker's voice.
plural of “hen” — adult female chicken
From this reading Beneath that window hens were clucking noisily.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Thankful opened her eyes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don't know, Hannah,” said Mr. Parker's voice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sunlight was streaming in at the window.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I don't know, Hannah,” said Mr. Parker's voice.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “I don't know, Hannah,” said Mr. Parker's voice.
with much noise or loud and unpleasant sound
From this reading Beneath that window hens were clucking noisily.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Thankful opened her eyes.
possessive form of “parker” — United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
From this reading “I don't know, Hannah,” said Mr. Parker's voice.
-ing form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading Also in the room adjoining someone was talking, protesting.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Also in the room adjoining someone was talking, protesting.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I don't know, Hannah,” said Mr. Parker's voice.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Also in the room adjoining someone was talking, protesting.
exuding a bodily fluid in profuse amounts
From this reading The sunlight was streaming in at the window.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The sunlight was streaming in at the window.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading Also in the room adjoining someone was talking, protesting.
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading Thankful opened her eyes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Beneath that window hens were clucking noisily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The sunlight was streaming in at the window.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “I don't know, Hannah,” said Mr. Parker's voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sunlight was streaming in at the window.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Beneath that window hens were clucking noisily.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading The sunlight was streaming in at the window.
Chapter 4 of Thankful's Inheritance by Joseph Crosby Lincoln holds 519 sentences, grouped into 104 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.
Chapter 4 holds 519 sentences of Thankful's Inheritance, unabridged, divided into 104 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Thankful's Inheritance by Joseph Crosby Lincoln exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 519 sentences, grouped into 104 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 104 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 104 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 Thankful's Inheritance by Joseph Crosby Lincoln on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9695 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2552 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2552, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1939 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thankful's Inheritance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Thankful's Inheritance 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 Thankful's Inheritance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
