Chapter 4 of The Bridge-Builders is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Bridge-Builders is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began. “Are they Gods, then?” Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River. “Be certain that it is only for a little. The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
Chapter 4 of The Bridge-Builders is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading ““If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.”
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading “Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.”
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading ““Are they Gods, then?””
relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven
From this reading “The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.”
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading “The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.”
8th and most important avatar of Vishnu; incarnated as a handsome young man playing a flute
From this reading “Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.”
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.”
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading ““If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.”
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 “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Are they Gods, then?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading “Be certain that it is only for a little.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “Are they Gods, then?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven
From this reading The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Be certain that it is only for a little.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
8th and most important avatar of Vishnu; incarnated as a handsome young man playing a flute
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
and nothing more
From this reading “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
in the near future
From this reading The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Be certain that it is only for a little.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “If it be only for a little,” the slow beast began.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Are they Gods, then?”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Are they Gods, then?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The Heavenly Ones have heard thee, and presently justice will be done.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Krishna returned with a laugh, his eyes looking into the dull eyes of the River.
Chapter 4 of The Bridge-Builders by Rudyard Kipling holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 202 sentences of The Bridge-Builders, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Bridge-Builders by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Bridge-Builders by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 802 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2163 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2163, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 66 minutes of reading across 161 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bridge-Builders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Bridge-Builders 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 Bridge-Builders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
