Chapter 13 of The Fourth Generation is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Fourth Generation is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside. He sat thinking over it for a little. Then he thought it was time to go to bed. There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight. But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
Chapter 13 of The Fourth Generation is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 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.
on or to one side
From this reading “ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.”
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.”
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading “There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.”
United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)
From this reading “ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.”
A terrifying or distressing dream.
From this reading “But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.”
the piece of land on which something is located (or is to be located)
From this reading “ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.”
causing extreme terror
From this reading “But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.”
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading “But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.”
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 “There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.”
In this reading “ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.”
in reality or actuality
In this reading “There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.”
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 He sat thinking over it for a little.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.
on or to one side
From this reading ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Then he thought it was time to go to bed.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He sat thinking over it for a little.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then he thought it was time to go to bed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sat thinking over it for a little.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)
From this reading ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He sat thinking over it for a little.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
A terrifying or distressing dream.
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.
above and across; more than
From this reading He sat thinking over it for a little.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat thinking over it for a little.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.
the piece of land on which something is located (or is to be located)
From this reading ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.
causing extreme terror
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he thought it was time to go to bed.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was not much of the night left; in fact, it was already broad daylight.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading He sat thinking over it for a little.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Then he thought it was time to go to bed.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading ON THE SITE Leonard shut the book and threw it aside.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Then he thought it was time to go to bed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then he thought it was time to go to bed.
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading But if it had been a night of mid-winter for darkness he could not have been visited by a more terrifying nightmare.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then he thought it was time to go to bed.
Chapter 13 of The Fourth Generation by Walter Besant holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 13 holds 400 sentences of The Fourth Generation, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Fourth Generation by Walter Besant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 13 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.
