Chapter 4 of The Idler — Volume III is here in full — 38 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Idler — Volume III is here in full — 38 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CRASH. One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal. "How should I know, sir?" she gasped. "Ain't he been in, sir?" "Apparently not," Tom answered anxiously.
Chapter 4 of The Idler — Volume III is here in full — 38 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/7 · 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.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading “One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.”
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “"Apparently not," Tom answered anxiously.”
fall or come down violently
From this reading “THE CRASH.”
requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill
From this reading “One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.”
(comparative and superlative of “early”) more early than; most early
From this reading “One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"How should I know, sir?" she gasped.”
the act of removing hair with a razor
From this reading “One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.”
in a violent manner
From this reading “One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ain't he been in, sir?"
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Apparently not," Tom answered anxiously.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading "Apparently not," Tom answered anxiously.
from appearances alone
From this reading "Apparently not," Tom answered anxiously.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Ain't he been in, sir?"
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
fall or come down violently
From this reading THE CRASH.
requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
earlier in time; previously
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
(comparative and superlative of “early”) more early than; most early
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "How should I know, sir?" she gasped.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Ain't he been in, sir?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How should I know, sir?" she gasped.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "How should I know, sir?" she gasped.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Ain't he been in, sir?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "How should I know, sir?" she gasped.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
a form of address for a man
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Apparently not," Tom answered anxiously.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
the act of removing hair with a razor
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "How should I know, sir?" she gasped.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "How should I know, sir?" she gasped.
term of address for a man
From this reading "How should I know, sir?" she gasped.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CRASH.
male cat
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
in a violent manner
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading One morning, earlier than his earliest hour of demanding his shaving water, Tom rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what had become of Mr. Roxdal.
Chapter 4 of The Idler — Volume III by Various holds 38 sentences, grouped into 8 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 38 sentences of The Idler — Volume III, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Idler — Volume III by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 38 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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 Idler — Volume III by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1799 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12223 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12223, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 149 minutes of reading across 360 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Idler — Volume III section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Idler — Volume III 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 Idler — Volume III, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
