Chapter 4 of The Ear in the Wall is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Ear in the Wall is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'll leave it to Kennedy," he resumed. "Suppose you were running a race. You knew you were going to win. Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?" "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
Chapter 4 of The Ear in the Wall is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading “"I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.”
plural of “case” — an occurrence of something
From this reading “"I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.”
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading “Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"”
35th President of the United States; established the Peace Corps; assassinated in Dallas (1917-1963)
From this reading “"I'll leave it to Kennedy," he resumed.”
something having the property of being analogous to something else
From this reading “"I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.”
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading “Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"”
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading “Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"”
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading “You knew you were going to win.”
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 "Suppose you were running a race.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
plural of “case” — an occurrence of something
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
the act of departing
From this reading You knew you were going to win.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'll leave it to Kennedy," he resumed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll leave it to Kennedy," he resumed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I'll leave it to Kennedy," he resumed.
35th President of the United States; established the Peace Corps; assassinated in Dallas (1917-1963)
From this reading "I'll leave it to Kennedy," he resumed.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You knew you were going to win.
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 that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
go away from a place
From this reading "I'll leave it to Kennedy," he resumed.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
something having the property of being analogous to something else
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
any competition
From this reading "Suppose you were running a race.
past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading "I'll leave it to Kennedy," he resumed.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading "Suppose you were running a race.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
express a supposition
From this reading "Suppose you were running a race.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I'll leave it to Kennedy," he resumed.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Suppose you were running a race.
which person or people
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading You knew you were going to win.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I don't know that the cases are parallel," returned Kennedy with an amused smile.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Suppose you were running a race.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Would you deliberately stop and stick your foot out, in order to trip up the man who was coming in second?"
Chapter 4 of The Ear in the Wall by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of The Ear in the Wall, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Ear in the Wall by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Ear in the Wall by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4987 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5150 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5150, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 415 minutes of reading across 998 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ear in the Wall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Ear in the Wall 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 Ear in the Wall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
