Chapter 4 of The Best Short Stories of 1918, and the Yearbook of the American Short is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 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 Short Stories of 1918, and the Yearbook of the American Short is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I stiffened a trifle. “You are very kind. But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?” Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light. “Likely not.
Chapter 4 of The Best Short Stories of 1918, and the Yearbook of the American Short is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 harmony with the spirit of particular persons or occasion
From this reading “But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?””
armor plate that protects the head
From this reading “Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.”
tell false information to for fun
From this reading “But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?””
reduced in size as by squeezing together
From this reading “Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.”
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading “I stiffened a trifle.”
increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
From this reading “But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?””
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading “I stiffened a trifle.”
either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading “Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.”
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 “Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.”
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 I stiffened a trifle.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are very kind.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
opinion or judgment
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
in harmony with the spirit of particular persons or occasion
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
only a very short time before
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
armor plate that protects the head
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I stiffened a trifle.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
tell false information to for fun
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “You are very kind.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading “Likely not.
reduced in size as by squeezing together
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Likely not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading I stiffened a trifle.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading I stiffened a trifle.
either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Under his helmet those keen eyes narrowed to twin points of light.
precisely as stated
From this reading “You are very kind.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But such a position would hardly be fitting—” “For a swell kid like him?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You are very kind.
Chapter 4 of The Best Short Stories of 1918, and the Yearbook of the American Short by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of The Best Short Stories of 1918, and the Yearbook of the American Short, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Best Short Stories of 1918, and the Yearbook of the American Short by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Short Stories of 1918, and the Yearbook of the American Short by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 15599 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39635 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39635, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3120 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Best Short Stories of 1918, and the Yearbook of the American Short section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Best Short Stories of 1918, and the Yearbook of the American Short 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 Short Stories of 1918, and the Yearbook of the American Short, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
