Chapter 4 of The Dead-Line is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Dead-Line is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Extinct,” corrected Sleepy. “Like do-do-bird and muzzle-loadin’ pistols. I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous. Some folks are thataway, Hashknife.” “All rustlers are, Sleepy.
Chapter 4 of The Dead-Line is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
having something undesirable neutralized
From this reading ““Extinct,” corrected Sleepy.”
no longer in existence; lost or especially having died out leaving no living representatives
From this reading ““Extinct,” corrected Sleepy.”
your parents
From this reading “Some folks are thataway, Hashknife.””
easily agitated
From this reading “I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.”
plural of “pistol” — a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading ““Like do-do-bird and muzzle-loadin’ pistols.”
someone who steals livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading “I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.”
plural of “rustler” — someone who steals livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading ““All rustlers are, Sleepy.”
ready to fall asleep
From this reading ““Extinct,” corrected Sleepy.”
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 “Some folks are thataway, Hashknife.””
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 I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “All rustlers are, Sleepy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Like do-do-bird and muzzle-loadin’ pistols.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Some folks are thataway, Hashknife.”
having something undesirable neutralized
From this reading “Extinct,” corrected Sleepy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Like do-do-bird and muzzle-loadin’ pistols.
no longer in existence; lost or especially having died out leaving no living representatives
From this reading “Extinct,” corrected Sleepy.
your parents
From this reading Some folks are thataway, Hashknife.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some folks are thataway, Hashknife.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
a small glass adequate to hold a single swallow of whiskey
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
and nothing more
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Like do-do-bird and muzzle-loadin’ pistols.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Like do-do-bird and muzzle-loadin’ pistols.
easily agitated
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
plural of “pistol” — a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “Like do-do-bird and muzzle-loadin’ pistols.
someone who steals livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
plural of “rustler” — someone who steals livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading “All rustlers are, Sleepy.
ready to fall asleep
From this reading “Extinct,” corrected Sleepy.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some folks are thataway, Hashknife.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some folks are thataway, Hashknife.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I wonder if that jigger was a rustler, or was he just nervous.
Chapter 4 of The Dead-Line by W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of The Dead-Line, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Dead-Line by W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Dead-Line by W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4854 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66821 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66821, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 971 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dead-Line section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Dead-Line 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 Dead-Line, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
