Chapter 4 of The best British short stories of 1922 is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The best British short stories of 1922 is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Nothing happened. Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room. The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike. He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible. It was just outside his door.
Chapter 4 of The best British short stories of 1922 is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/73 · 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.
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading “He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.”
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading “He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.”
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike.”
plural of “electrician” — a person who installs or repairs electrical or telephone lines
From this reading “The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike.”
covered with water
From this reading “Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.”
past form of “fumble” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading “He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.”
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading “He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.”
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading “Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.”
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 The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading It was just outside his door.
plural of “electrician” — a person who installs or repairs electrical or telephone lines
From this reading The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike.
covered with water
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
past form of “fumble” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Nothing happened.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was just outside his door.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was just outside his door.
and nothing more
From this reading It was just outside his door.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
not any; not one
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing happened.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading It was just outside his door.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike.
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He fumbled for the matches, and as he did so a voice in the corridor became distinctly audible.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was just outside his door.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Wide awake now, he turned the switch on, but no light flooded the room.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The electricians, he remembered with a curse, were out on strike.
Chapter 4 of The best British short stories of 1922 by John [Editor] Cournos holds 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 368 sentences of The best British short stories of 1922, unabridged, divided into 74 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The best British short stories of 1922 by John [Editor] Cournos exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 74 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 74 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 best British short stories of 1922 by John [Editor] Cournos on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8120 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9363 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9363, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1624 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The best British short stories of 1922 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The best British short stories of 1922 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 best British short stories of 1922, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
