Chapter 4 of The Automaton Ear, and Other Sketches is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Automaton Ear, and Other Sketches is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot. For an instant there was most frightful silence. I can see the waves widening their circle yet. Then, right at my boat’s head, father came to the surface. I was made strong by the energy of desperation.
Chapter 4 of The Automaton Ear, and Other Sketches is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
possessive form of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “I was made strong by the energy of desperation.”
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading “I was made strong by the energy of desperation.”
provoking horror
From this reading “For an instant there was most frightful silence.”
plural of “stroke” — (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading “I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.”
moving very fast
From this reading “I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.”
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading “I can see the waves widening their circle yet.”
an increase in width
From this reading “I can see the waves widening their circle yet.”
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 “For an instant there was most frightful silence.”
In this reading “For an instant there was most frightful silence.”
without delay or immediately
In this reading “I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.”
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.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For an instant there was most frightful silence.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then, right at my boat’s head, father came to the surface.
possessive form of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Then, right at my boat’s head, father came to the surface.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I was made strong by the energy of desperation.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then, right at my boat’s head, father came to the surface.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can see the waves widening their circle yet.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading I can see the waves widening their circle yet.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading I was made strong by the energy of desperation.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading I was made strong by the energy of desperation.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Then, right at my boat’s head, father came to the surface.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For an instant there was most frightful silence.
provoking horror
From this reading For an instant there was most frightful silence.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Then, right at my boat’s head, father came to the surface.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For an instant there was most frightful silence.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading I was made strong by the energy of desperation.
used to form the superlative
From this reading For an instant there was most frightful silence.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was made strong by the energy of desperation.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Then, right at my boat’s head, father came to the surface.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I can see the waves widening their circle yet.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading For an instant there was most frightful silence.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
plural of “stroke” — (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading I was made strong by the energy of desperation.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Then, right at my boat’s head, father came to the surface.
moving very fast
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading I can see the waves widening their circle yet.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, right at my boat’s head, father came to the surface.
in or at that place or location
From this reading For an instant there was most frightful silence.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then, right at my boat’s head, father came to the surface.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading I can see the waves widening their circle yet.
an increase in width
From this reading I can see the waves widening their circle yet.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I absolutely do not know how I pushed out from my hiding-place, but with two or three swift strokes I was on the spot.
but in spite of that
From this reading I can see the waves widening their circle yet.
Chapter 4 of The Automaton Ear, and Other Sketches by Florence McLandburgh holds 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 443 sentences of The Automaton Ear, and Other Sketches, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Automaton Ear, and Other Sketches by Florence McLandburgh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 The Automaton Ear, and Other Sketches by Florence McLandburgh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Automaton Ear, and Other Sketches section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Automaton Ear, and Other Sketches 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 The Automaton Ear, and Other Sketches, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
