Chapter 4 of The Big Idea is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Big Idea is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. HOPE’S IDEA. Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign. His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea. Mr. Hope was not a technical man.
Chapter 4 of The Big Idea is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
not carefully or expertly made
From this reading “His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.”
(behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
From this reading “Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.”
possessive form of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading “Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.”
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading “Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.”
possessive form of “jimmy” — a short crowbar
plural of “possibility” — a future prospect or potential
From this reading “His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.”
of or relating to technique or proficiency in a practical skill
From this reading “Mr. Hope was not a technical man.”
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 “Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.”
In this reading “Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.”
In this reading “Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.”
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 Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.
make calm or still
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
not carefully or expertly made
From this reading His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.
(behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
possessive form of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading HOPE’S IDEA.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading HOPE’S IDEA.
not easily perturbed or excited or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
possessive form of “jimmy” — a short crowbar
From this reading His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Mr. Hope was not a technical man.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
not any; not one
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mr. Hope was not a technical man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
on one occasion
From this reading His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.
plural of “possibility” — a future prospect or potential
From this reading His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
of or relating to technique or proficiency in a practical skill
From this reading Mr. Hope was not a technical man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His keen mind had seen at once the possibilities in Jimmy’s crude idea.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Hope was not a technical man.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mr. Leffingwell Hope concluded his interview with Jimmy in a state of mental excitement of which his calm, imperturbable demeanor gave no sign.
Chapter 4 of The Big Idea by Ray Cummings holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 145 sentences of The Big Idea, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Big Idea by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Big Idea by Ray Cummings on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1446 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67259 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67259, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 120 minutes of reading across 290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Big Idea section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Big Idea 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 Big Idea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
