Chapter 12 of The Fourth Generation is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Fourth Generation is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study. His eye fell upon the Book of Extracts. He looked at his watch. Nearly twelve. He took up the book resolutely.
Chapter 12 of The Fourth Generation is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading “THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.”
plural of “extract” — a solution obtained by steeping or soaking a substance (usually in water)
From this reading “THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.”
United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)
From this reading “THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.”
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “Nearly twelve.”
showing firm determination or purpose
From this reading “He took up the book resolutely.”
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “Nearly twelve.”
look attentively
From this reading “He looked at his watch.”
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 “His eye fell upon the Book of Extracts.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “He looked at his watch.”
pursue or resume
In this reading “He took up the book resolutely.”
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.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked at his watch.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
plural of “extract” — a solution obtained by steeping or soaking a substance (usually in water)
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
the organ of sight
From this reading His eye fell upon the Book of Extracts.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading His eye fell upon the Book of Extracts.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked at his watch.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked at his watch.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Nearly twelve.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
showing firm determination or purpose
From this reading He took up the book resolutely.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took up the book resolutely.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading Nearly twelve.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading THE BOOK OF EXTRACTS Leonard turned up his light in the study.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading His eye fell upon the Book of Extracts.
look attentively
From this reading He looked at his watch.
Chapter 12 of The Fourth Generation by Walter Besant holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 12 holds 433 sentences of The Fourth Generation, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Fourth Generation by Walter Besant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 12 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 Fourth Generation by Walter Besant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6592 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50177 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50177, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 549 minutes of reading across 1319 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fourth Generation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Fourth Generation 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 Fourth Generation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
