Chapter 4 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What is it? Where do you go?" he asked. She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice. He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself. When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
Chapter 4 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
in an active manner
From this reading “When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.”
at or in the front
From this reading “When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.”
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading “When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.”
come together
From this reading “When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.”
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading “He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself.”
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading “When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.”
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading “When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.”
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.
in an active manner
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
at or in the front
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself.
react verbally
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Where do you go?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Where do you go?" he asked.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
come together
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
divisible by two
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Where do you go?" he asked.
the act of grasping
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Where do you go?" he asked.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it?
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
and nothing more
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
not any; not one
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He caught at her arm and she pulled to free herself.
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading She made no answer, did not even seem aware of his voice.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it?
at the time that
From this reading When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during their first encounter, but merely pulled and twisted as if she were being compelled to go ahead.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where do you go?" he asked.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Where do you go?" he asked.
Chapter 4 of The Defiant Agents by Andre Norton holds 442 sentences, grouped into 89 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 442 sentences of The Defiant Agents, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Defiant Agents by Andre Norton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 442 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Defiant Agents by Andre Norton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3953 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25550 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25550, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 329 minutes of reading across 791 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Defiant Agents section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Defiant Agents 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 Defiant Agents, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
