Chapter IV of The Firebug, “Jerry to the Rescue,” is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter IV of The Firebug, “Jerry to the Rescue,” is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours. It’s the old Garrity School.” “That’s right,” Johnny answered. “It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks. The fire starts in the office as usual.”
Chapter IV of The Firebug, “Jerry to the Rescue,” is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading ““It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.”
the central area or commercial center of a town or city
From this reading ““It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.”
your parents
From this reading ““It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading ““That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.”
relating to human society and its members
From this reading ““It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.”
plural of “start” — the beginning of anything
From this reading “The fire starts in the office as usual.””
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading “The fire starts in the office as usual.””
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading ““That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.”
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 “The fire starts in the office as usual.””
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 “It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “That’s right,” Johnny answered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The fire starts in the office as usual.”
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading “It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.
a person who is in charge
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
the central area or commercial center of a town or city
From this reading “It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The fire starts in the office as usual.”
your parents
From this reading “It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s the old Garrity School.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The fire starts in the office as usual.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s the old Garrity School.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The fire starts in the office as usual.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It’s the old Garrity School.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “That’s right,” Johnny answered.
an educational institution
From this reading It’s the old Garrity School.”
relating to human society and its members
From this reading “It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “It’s not a school now; sort of a social center for downtown folks.
plural of “start” — the beginning of anything
From this reading The fire starts in the office as usual.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s right,” Johnny answered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading The fire starts in the office as usual.”
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading “That,” exclaimed the Chief, turning to Johnny, “is one of yours.
Chapter 4 of The Firebug by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 192 sentences of The Firebug, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Firebug by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Firebug by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3370 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42755 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42755, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 280 minutes of reading across 674 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Firebug section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Firebug 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 Firebug, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
