Chapter 4 of The Burning Spear is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Burning Spear is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“How is this?” said Mr. Lavender. “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?” “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth. “Smoke that a minute, sir. Oh! look at what this dog's brought in!
Chapter 4 of The Burning Spear is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
possessive form of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “Oh! look at what this dog's brought in!”
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading ““I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?””
of a pale purple color
From this reading ““How is this?” said Mr. Lavender.”
inferior in rank or status
From this reading ““No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.”
-ing form of “place” — put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading ““No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.”
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading ““Smoke that a minute, sir.”
in a soothing manner
From this reading ““No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.”
measuring instrument for measuring temperature
From this reading ““No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.”
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 “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Oh! look at what this dog's brought in!
a maid who is employed to clean and care for bedrooms (now primarily in hotels)
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
possessive form of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading Oh! look at what this dog's brought in!
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How is this?” said Mr. Lavender.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “How is this?” said Mr. Lavender.
of a pale purple color
From this reading “How is this?” said Mr. Lavender.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Oh! look at what this dog's brought in!
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “Smoke that a minute, sir.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “How is this?” said Mr. Lavender.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh! look at what this dog's brought in!
inferior in rank or status
From this reading “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
-ing form of “place” — put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “How is this?” said Mr. Lavender.
term of address for a man
From this reading “Smoke that a minute, sir.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading “Smoke that a minute, sir.
in a soothing manner
From this reading “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Smoke that a minute, sir.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
measuring instrument for measuring temperature
From this reading “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Petty soothingly, placing a thermometer in his mouth.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “How is this?” said Mr. Lavender.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Oh! look at what this dog's brought in!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I thought you were the chambermaid of the inn at High Barnet?”
Chapter 4 of The Burning Spear by John Galsworthy holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 183 sentences of The Burning Spear, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Burning Spear by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Burning Spear by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2838 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2905 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2905, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 236 minutes of reading across 568 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Burning Spear section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Burning Spear 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 Burning Spear, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
