Chapter 4 of The Grain Ship is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Grain Ship is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"We've got very little, John. We couldn't afford two fires." Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry. "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock. Order a ton up here at once."
Chapter 4 of The Grain Ship is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
marked by continuous change or effective action
From this reading “Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.”
a covering designed to be worn on a person's body
From this reading “Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.”
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading “"Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.”
an enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial
From this reading “"Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.”
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading “We couldn't afford two fires."”
-ing form of “hand” — place into the hands or custody of
From this reading “"Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.”
the son your spouse by a former marriage
From this reading “Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.”
a United States unit of weight equivalent to 2000 pounds
From this reading “Order a ton up here at once."”
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 "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
be able to spare or give up
From this reading We couldn't afford two fires."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Order a ton up here at once."
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
marked by continuous change or effective action
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
a covering designed to be worn on a person's body
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We couldn't afford two fires."
an enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading We couldn't afford two fires."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
set up or found
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "We've got very little, John.
-ing form of “hand” — place into the hands or custody of
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Order a ton up here at once."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading "We've got very little, John.
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 Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "We've got very little, John.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
on one occasion
From this reading Order a ton up here at once."
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Order a ton up here at once."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
the son your spouse by a former marriage
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
carry out
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Take this money," he said, handing him a bill, "and go down to the coal dock.
a United States unit of weight equivalent to 2000 pounds
From this reading Order a ton up here at once."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading We couldn't afford two fires."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Order a ton up here at once."
precisely as stated
From this reading "We've got very little, John.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We couldn't afford two fires."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We've got very little, John.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading Quinbey left her, and found his stepson in his room, changing his wet clothing for dry.
Chapter 4 of The Grain Ship by Morgan Robertson holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of The Grain Ship, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Grain Ship by Morgan Robertson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Grain Ship by Morgan Robertson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3359 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26194 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26194, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 279 minutes of reading across 672 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Grain Ship section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Grain Ship 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 Grain Ship, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
