Chapter 4 of The Education of Eric Lane is here in full — 400 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 Education of Eric Lane is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length. "The second act's got to stand as I wrote it. We shan't do any good by talking.
Chapter 4 of The Education of Eric Lane is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
possessive form of “act” — a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body
From this reading “"The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.”
take in solid food
From this reading “"Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “"Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.”
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “"Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.”
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “"The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.”
be standing; be upright
From this reading “"The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “We shan't do any good by talking.”
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading “"The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.”
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.
possessive form of “act” — a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body
From this reading "The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading We shan't do any good by talking.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading We shan't do any good by talking.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading We shan't do any good by talking.
take in solid food
From this reading "Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading We shan't do any good by talking.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading "Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We shan't do any good by talking.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.
be standing; be upright
From this reading "The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading We shan't do any good by talking.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Oh, let's have something to eat!" he exclaimed at length.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We shan't do any good by talking.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading "The second act's got to stand as I wrote it.
Chapter 4 of The Education of Eric Lane by Stephen McKenna holds 400 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 400 sentences of The Education of Eric Lane, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Education of Eric Lane by Stephen McKenna exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 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 Education of Eric Lane by Stephen McKenna on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7191 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 599 minutes of reading across 1439 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Education of Eric Lane section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Education of Eric Lane 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 Education of Eric Lane, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
