Chapter 4 of The Duke in the Suburbs is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Duke in the Suburbs is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted. Hank shook his head. "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke. She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge. And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
Chapter 4 of The Duke in the Suburbs is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
move very slightly
From this reading “She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.”
the act of increasing (something) in size or volume or quantity or scope
From this reading “She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.”
equipped with or connected by gears or having gears engaged
From this reading “"I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.”
a coil of rope or wool or yarn
From this reading “Hank shook his head.”
plural of “miss” — a young female
From this reading “And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.”
treated with oil
From this reading “She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.”
increase threefold
From this reading “She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.”
(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
From this reading “"But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.”
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.
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 "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
at or near or toward the stern of a ship or tail of an airplane
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
move very slightly
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
the act of increasing (something) in size or volume or quantity or scope
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
start firing a weapon
From this reading And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
front part of a vessel or aircraft
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
equipped with or connected by gears or having gears engaged
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
a coil of rope or wool or yarn
From this reading Hank shook his head.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Hank shook his head.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hank shook his head.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
engage in
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
plural of “miss” — a young female
From this reading And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
treated with oil
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
on one occasion
From this reading And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And if she misses fire once, it’s down and out for hers.
past form of “persist” — continue to exist
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Hank shook his head.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
increase threefold
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "I don’t know her," he confessed, "but she must be geared up to shift the Duke.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading She must be well oiled an’ run on ball bearin’s, an’ be triple expansion ’fore an’ aft to make him budge.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But my uncle will serve you with a writ of ejectment," she persisted.
Chapter 4 of The Duke in the Suburbs by Edgar Wallace holds 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 447 sentences of The Duke in the Suburbs, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Duke in the Suburbs by Edgar Wallace exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Duke in the Suburbs by Edgar Wallace on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3093 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49694 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49694, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 257 minutes of reading across 619 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Duke in the Suburbs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Duke in the Suburbs 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 Duke in the Suburbs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
