Chapter 4 of The Chequers is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Chequers is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?" "No fear. But you could do better than that. When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are. Sink me!
Chapter 4 of The Chequers is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “"But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"”
plural of “chap” — a boy or man
From this reading “"But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"”
a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection
From this reading “"But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"”
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading “When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.”
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “"But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"”
fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading “Sink me!”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading But you could do better than that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
plural of “chap” — a boy or man
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But you could do better than that.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading "No fear.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
engage in
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Sink me!
not any; not one
From this reading "No fear.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
precisely, exactly
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Sink me!
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But you could do better than that.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But you could do better than that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
at the time that
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But you wouldn't care to work the Embankment and run the risk of the cat, as those Piccadilly chaps do?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading When you're boozed you're not in it--you lose your head; but when you're right you make fellows wonder what you are.
Chapter 4 of The Chequers by James Runciman holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of The Chequers, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Chequers by James Runciman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Chequers by James Runciman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2550 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18510 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18510, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 212 minutes of reading across 510 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Chequers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Chequers 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 Chequers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
