The Foundling of the Wreck

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The Foundling of the Wreck is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Anonymous • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

A GENEROUS RESOLVE.

At the mouth of the river Neva were several little islands; on one of these islands the Emperor had a hut built for himself, and a wooden house for his favourite minister Prince Mentzikoff, who was his companion in all his enterprises.

It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.

This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

Narrator

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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 Foundling of the Wreck Anonymous

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The Foundling of the Wreck is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

A GENEROUS RESOLVE. At the mouth of the river Neva were several little islands; on one of these islands the Emperor had a hut built for himself, and a wooden house for his favourite minister Prince Mentzikoff, who was his companion in all his enterprises. It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned. On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth. This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

The Foundling of the Wreck

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The Foundling of the Wreck is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/6 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

A GENEROUS RESOLVE.

/ə ˈdʒenərəs riˈzɑːlv/

Line 2

Line 3

It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

/ɪt wɑːz ˈpiːtərz ˈfænsi tuː teɪk ʌp hɪz əˈboʊd ɑːn ðæt waɪld spɑːt ənd wɑːtʃ ðə ˈprɑːɡres ʌv ðə ˈsɪti hiː hæd plænd/

Line 4

On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.

/ɑːn əˈnʌðər ʌv ðiːz ˈlɪtəl ˈaɪləndz ə ˈfɔːrtrəs wɑːz rɪrd sərˈaʊndɪd baɪ ə ˈræmpɑːrt ʌv ɜːrθ/

Line 5

This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

/ðɪs ˈfɔːrtrəs wɑːz ðə ˈsteɪʃən ʌv ðə ˈendʒəˈnɪr huː dərˈektəd ðə wɜːrks ənd ðə hoʊm ʌv ə fjuː ʌv ðə ˈsoʊldʒərz/

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.

engineer noun US /ˈendʒəˈnɪr/

a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems

From this reading “This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.”

enterprises noun US /ˈentərpraɪzɪz/

plural of “enterprise” — a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)

From this reading “At the mouth of the river Neva were several little islands; on one of these islands the Emperor had a hut built for himself, and a wooden house for his favourite minister Prince Mentzikoff, who was his companion in all his enterprises.”

fortress noun US /ˈfɔːrtrəs/

a fortified defensive structure

From this reading “On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.”

Neva noun US /ˈneɪvə/

a river in northwestern Russia flowing generally west into the Gulf of Finland

Peter's noun US /ˈpiːtərz/

possessive form of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope

rampart noun US /ˈræmpɑːrt/

an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes

From this reading “On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.”

reared verb US /rɪrd/

past form of “rear” — stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds

From this reading “On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.”

resolve verb US /riˈzɑːlv/

bring to an end; settle conclusively

From this reading “A GENEROUS RESOLVE.”

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.

wooden house adjective + noun

In this reading “At the mouth of the river Neva were several little islands; on one of these islands the Emperor had a hut built for himself, and a wooden house for his favourite minister Prince Mentzikoff, who was his companion in all his enterprises.”

watch the progress verb + article + noun counted as “watch … progress”

In this reading “It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.”

take up verb + adjective

pursue or resume

In this reading “It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.”

little islands adjective + noun counted as “little island”

At the mouth preposition + article + noun counted as “at … mouth”

All words in this reading · 66

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 A GENEROUS RESOLVE.

abodenounUS /əˈboʊd/

any address at which you dwell more than temporarily

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading At the mouth of the river Neva were several little islands; on one of these islands the Emperor had a hut built for himself, and a wooden house for his favourite minister Prince Mentzikoff, who was his companion in all his enterprises.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

builtadjectiveUS /bɪlt/

(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

companionnounUS /kəmˈpænjən/

a friend who is frequently in the company of another

directedadjectiveUS /dərˈektəd/

(often used in combination) having a specified direction

From this reading This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.

EmperornounUS /ˈempərər/

the male ruler of an empire

engineernounUS /ˈendʒəˈnɪr/

a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems

From this reading This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

enterprisesnounUS /ˈentərpraɪzɪz/

plural of “enterprise” — a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)

fancynounUS /ˈfænsi/

something many people believe that is false

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

favouritenounUS /ˈfeɪvərɪt/

a competitor thought likely to win

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

fortressnounUS /ˈfɔːrtrəs/

a fortified defensive structure

From this reading On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.

GENEROUSadjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəs/

willing to give and share unstintingly

From this reading A GENEROUS RESOLVE.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

hutnounUS /hʌt/

temporary military shelter

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

islandsnounUS /ˈaɪləndz/

plural of “island” — a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

Mentzikoff

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

ministernounUS /ˈmɪnəstər/

a person authorized to conduct religious worship

mouthnounUS /maʊθ/

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

NevanounUS /ˈneɪvə/

a river in northwestern Russia flowing generally west into the Gulf of Finland

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

Peter'snounUS /ˈpiːtərz/

possessive form of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

plannedadjectiveUS /plænd/

designed or carried out according to a plan

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

PrincenounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

progressnounUS /ˈprɑːɡres/

gradual improvement or growth or development

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

rampartnounUS /ˈræmpɑːrt/

an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes

From this reading On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.

rearedverbUS /rɪrd/

past form of “rear” — stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds

From this reading On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.

RESOLVEverbUS /riˈzɑːlv/

bring to an end; settle conclusively

From this reading A GENEROUS RESOLVE.

rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

soldiersnounUS /ˈsoʊldʒərz/

plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army

From this reading This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

spotnounUS /spɑːt/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

stationnounUS /ˈsteɪʃən/

a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose

From this reading This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

surroundedadjectiveUS /sərˈaʊndɪd/

confined on all sides

From this reading On another of these little islands a fortress was reared, surrounded by a rampart of earth.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

watchverbUS /wɑːtʃ/

look attentively

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

wildadjectiveUS /waɪld/

marked by extreme lack of restraint or control

From this reading It was Peter’s fancy to take up his abode on that wild spot and watch the progress of the city he had planned.

woodenadjectiveUS /ˈwʊdən/

made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood

worksnounUS /wɜːrks/

buildings for carrying on industrial labor

From this reading This fortress was the station of the engineer who directed the works, and the home of a few of the soldiers.

Chapter 4 of The Foundling of the Wreck by Anonymous holds 32 sentences, grouped into 7 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 Foundling of the Wreck contain?

Chapter 4 holds 32 sentences of The Foundling of the Wreck, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Foundling of the Wreck by Anonymous exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 32 sentences, grouped into 7 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.

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Work through the 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 7 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.

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Common questions about reading The Foundling of the Wreck by Anonymous on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 478 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68050 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #68050, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 39 minutes of reading across 96 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Foundling of the Wreck

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Foundling of the Wreck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Shipwreck: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Foundling of the Wreck; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Young: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Foundling of the Wreck; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Readers: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Foundling of the Wreck; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Europe: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Foundling of the Wreck; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter IV

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Vocabulary met early in The Foundling of the Wreck