Chapter 4 of The Bandbox is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Bandbox is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Hello," said Staff, none too cordially. "What d' you mean by that?" "Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him. He snapped his fingers at the steward. "Give it a name," said he.
Chapter 4 of The Bandbox is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
in a hearty manner
From this reading “"Hello," said Staff, none too cordially.”
softened by the addition of cushions or padding
From this reading “"Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.”
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading “"Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “"Hello," said Staff, none too cordially.”
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “"Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “He snapped his fingers at the steward.”
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading “"Hello," said Staff, none too cordially.”
someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else
From this reading “He snapped his fingers at the steward.”
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 “"Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.”
In this reading “"What d' you mean by that?"”
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 "Give it a name," said he.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He snapped his fingers at the steward.
next to; at the side of
From this reading "Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "What d' you mean by that?"
in a hearty manner
From this reading "Hello," said Staff, none too cordially.
softened by the addition of cushions or padding
From this reading "Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading "What d' you mean by that?"
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading "Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading He snapped his fingers at the steward.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Give it a name," said he.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He snapped his fingers at the steward.
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hello," said Staff, none too cordially.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He snapped his fingers at the steward.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Give it a name," said he.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What d' you mean by that?"
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Give it a name," said he.
not one, and not any
From this reading "Hello," said Staff, none too cordially.
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading "Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Hello," said Staff, none too cordially.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading "Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading He snapped his fingers at the steward.
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading "Hello," said Staff, none too cordially.
someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else
From this reading He snapped his fingers at the steward.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What d' you mean by that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Hello," said Staff, none too cordially.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "Hello," responded Iff, dropping upon the cushioned seat beside him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What d' you mean by that?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What d' you mean by that?"
Chapter 4 of The Bandbox by Louis Joseph Vance holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of The Bandbox, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Bandbox by Louis Joseph Vance exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Bandbox by Louis Joseph Vance on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4155 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31021 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31021, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 346 minutes of reading across 831 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bandbox section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Bandbox 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 Bandbox, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
