Chapter 4 of The Blue Balloon is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Blue Balloon is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BALLOON COMES DOWN. ‘Hello!’ exclaimed Lucius. ‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’ ‘So they hev,’ said Ephraim, peering over. ‘Sh! keep mum!
Chapter 4 of The Blue Balloon is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading “THE BALLOON COMES DOWN.”
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “THE BALLOON COMES DOWN.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “‘Hello!’ exclaimed Lucius.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “‘Hello!’ exclaimed Lucius.”
failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to
From this reading “‘Sh! keep mum!”
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “‘So they hev,’ said Ephraim, peering over.”
plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading “‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’”
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.
refuse to talk or stop talking; fall silent
In this reading “‘Sh! keep mum!”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “THE BALLOON COMES DOWN.”
to cause inconvenience or discomfort to
In this reading “‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’”
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.
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading THE BALLOON COMES DOWN.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading THE BALLOON COMES DOWN.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THE BALLOON COMES DOWN.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘So they hev,’ said Ephraim, peering over.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading ‘Hello!’ exclaimed Lucius.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’
an expression of greeting
From this reading ‘Hello!’ exclaimed Lucius.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘So they hev,’ said Ephraim, peering over.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading ‘Sh! keep mum!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Hello!’ exclaimed Lucius.
failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to
From this reading ‘Sh! keep mum!
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading ‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’
above and across; more than
From this reading ‘So they hev,’ said Ephraim, peering over.
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading ‘So they hev,’ said Ephraim, peering over.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading ‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘So they hev,’ said Ephraim, peering over.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Sh! keep mum!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading ‘So they hev,’ said Ephraim, peering over.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BALLOON COMES DOWN.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’
plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading ‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’
used to ask for information about something
From this reading ‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading ‘What have they put out the torches for, I wonder.’
Chapter 4 of The Blue Balloon by Reginald Horsley holds 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 260 sentences of The Blue Balloon, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Blue Balloon by Reginald Horsley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Blue Balloon by Reginald Horsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4832 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64039 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64039, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 402 minutes of reading across 967 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blue Balloon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Blue Balloon 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 Blue Balloon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
