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The first American King
The first American King

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The first American King is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The first American King
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.
Kearns spoke first.
“The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.
“I’m hungry, thirsty and tired.
Come!”
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The first American King

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The first American King is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.
/ðə mæn wɪð ðə kɑːkt hæt fɔːr ə lɔːŋ ˈmɪnət ðeɪ stʊd ðer ˈfeɪsɪŋ iːtʃ ˈʌðər ˌʌndɪˈsaɪdɪd ənd pərˈplekst bɪˈwɪldərd baɪ ðə ˈstreɪndʒnəs ʌv ðə ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən/
Line 2
Kearns spoke first.
Line 3
“The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.
/ðə end ʌv ˈaʊər ˈtrʌbəl laɪz ðer hiː ɪkˈskleɪmd ˈpɔɪntɪŋ tuː ðə ˈvɪlədʒ/
Line 4
“I’m hungry, thirsty and tired.
Line 5
Come!”
/kʌm/

Learner Dictionary

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.

bewildered adjective US /bɪˈwɪldərd/

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

From this reading “THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.”

cocked verb US /kɑːkt/

past form of “cock” — tilt or slant to one side

From this reading “THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.”

facing noun US /ˈfeɪsɪŋ/

a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening

From this reading “THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.”

perplexed adjective US /pərˈplekst/

full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment

From this reading “THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.”

pointing verb US /ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/

-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively

From this reading ““The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.”

strangeness noun US /ˈstreɪndʒnəs/

unusualness as a consequence of not being well known

From this reading “THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.”

thirsty adjective US /ˈθɜːrsti/

needing moisture

From this reading ““I’m hungry, thirsty and tired.”

undecided adjective US /ˌʌndɪˈsaɪdɪd/

not brought to a conclusion; subject to further thought

From this reading “THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

COCKED HAT verb + noun counted as “cock hat”

In this reading “THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.”

stood there verb + particle

In this reading “THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.”

lies there verb + particle counted as “lie there”

In this reading ““The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.”

All words in this reading · 40

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

bewilderedadjectiveUS /bɪˈwɪldərd/

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

COCKEDverbUS /kɑːkt/

past form of “cock” — tilt or slant to one side

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

ComeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Come!”

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading “The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.

exclaimedverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading “The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.

facingnounUS /ˈfeɪsɪŋ/

a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Kearns spoke first.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

HATnounUS /hæt/

headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.

hungryadjectiveUS /ˈhʌŋɡri/

feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food

From this reading “I’m hungry, thirsty and tired.

I'm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I’m hungry, thirsty and tired.

Kearns

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Kearns spoke first.

liesnounUS /laɪz/

plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth

From this reading “The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

MANnounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

minutenounUS /ˈmɪnət/

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading “The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.

perplexedadjectiveUS /pərˈplekst/

full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

pointingverbUS /ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/

-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively

From this reading “The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.

situationnounUS /ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən/

the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading Kearns spoke first.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

strangenessnounUS /ˈstreɪndʒnəs/

unusualness as a consequence of not being well known

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

thirstyadjectiveUS /ˈθɜːrsti/

needing moisture

From this reading “I’m hungry, thirsty and tired.

tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/

depleted of strength or energy

From this reading “I’m hungry, thirsty and tired.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.

troublenounUS /ˈtrʌbəl/

a source of difficulty

From this reading “The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.

undecidedadjectiveUS /ˌʌndɪˈsaɪdɪd/

not brought to a conclusion; subject to further thought

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

villagenounUS /ˈvɪlədʒ/

a community of people smaller than a town

From this reading “The end of our trouble lies there,” he exclaimed, pointing to the village.

WITHprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE MAN WITH THE COCKED HAT For a long minute they stood there, facing each other, undecided and perplexed, bewildered by the strangeness of the situation.

Chapter 4 of The first American King by George Gordon Hastings holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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.

What does chapter 4 of The first American King contain?

Chapter 4 holds 175 sentences of The first American King, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The first American King by George Gordon Hastings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of The first American King?

Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 35 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The first American King

Common questions about reading The first American King by George Gordon Hastings on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The first American King?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The first American King is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The first American King take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The first American King

Words and structures a reader meets early in The first American King, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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