Chapter 4 of The Five Knots is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Five Knots is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"As you please," he said. "It really doesn’t matter either way. Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this. Go to bed, child." Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
Chapter 4 of The Five Knots is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 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.
one or the other of two
From this reading “"It really doesn’t matter either way.”
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading “Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.”
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.”
at the same time but in another place
From this reading “Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.”
a dealer in textiles (especially silks)
From this reading “Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “"As you please," he said.”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.”
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.”
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 “Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "As you please," he said.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Go to bed, child."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Go to bed, child."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It really doesn’t matter either way.
one or the other of two
From this reading "It really doesn’t matter either way.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Go to bed, child."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "As you please," he said.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It really doesn’t matter either way.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "It really doesn’t matter either way.
at the same time but in another place
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
a dealer in textiles (especially silks)
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "As you please," he said.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "It really doesn’t matter either way.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "As you please," he said.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Meanwhile Mercer was making his way back to Oldborough, his mind full of the events of the evening.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "It really doesn’t matter either way.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Before many weeks have passed—but it is late to be talking here like this.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "As you please," he said.
Chapter 4 of The Five Knots by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Five Knots, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Five Knots by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Five Knots by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5188 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43492 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43492, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 432 minutes of reading across 1038 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Five Knots section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Five Knots 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 Five Knots, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
