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The Iron Rule
The Iron Rule

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Iron Rule is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Iron Rule
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.
"It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.
"If I want to be good, they won't let me."
As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"
"Don't you, indeed?"
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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 Iron Rule

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Iron Rule is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.
/rɔːŋd ənd rəˈpeld ˈændruː left ðə ˈprezəns ʌv hɪz ˈfɑːðər sæd ˈhoʊpləs jet wɪð ə sens ʌv ˌɪndɪɡˈneɪʃən ɪn hɪz hɑːrt əˈɡenst ðæt ˈfɑːðər fɔːr ðə rɔːŋ hiː hæd ˈsʌfərd æt hɪz hændz/
Line 2
"It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.
Line 3
"If I want to be good, they won't let me."
Line 4
As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"
Line 5
"Don't you, indeed?"

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.

aloud adverb US /əˈlaʊd/

using the voice; not silently

From this reading “As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"”

Andrew noun US /ˈændruː/

(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland

From this reading “WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.”

hopeless adjective US /ˈhoʊpləs/

without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success

From this reading “WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.”

indignation noun US /ˌɪndɪɡˈneɪʃən/

a feeling of righteous anger

From this reading “WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.”

recklessness noun US /ˈrekləsnəs/

the trait of giving little thought to danger

From this reading “As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"”

repelled verb US /rəˈpeld/

inflected form of “repel” — cause to move back by force or influence

From this reading “WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.”

suffered verb US /ˈsʌfərd/

past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to

From this reading “WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.”

wronged verb US /rɔːŋd/

past form of “wrong” — treat unjustly; do wrong to

From this reading “WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

aloudadverbUS /əˈlaʊd/

using the voice; not silently

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

AndrewnounUS /ˈændruː/

(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "If I want to be good, they won't let me."

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.

don't

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

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

feelingnounUS /ˈfiːlɪŋ/

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading "If I want to be good, they won't let me."

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading "It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

hopelessadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊpləs/

without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "If I want to be good, they won't let me."

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "If I want to be good, they won't let me."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading "Don't you, indeed?"

indignationnounUS /ˌɪndɪɡˈneɪʃən/

a feeling of righteous anger

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

It's

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

From this reading "It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.

leftnounUS /left/

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 WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading "If I want to be good, they won't let me."

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

murmuredverbUS /ˈmɜːrmərd/

past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly

From this reading "It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

presencenounUS /ˈprezəns/

the state of being present; current existence

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

recklessnessnounUS /ˈrekləsnəs/

the trait of giving little thought to danger

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

repelledverbUS /rəˈpeld/

inflected form of “repel” — cause to move back by force or influence

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading "It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.

sadadjectiveUS /sæd/

experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

sufferedverbUS /ˈsʌfərd/

past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

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

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "If I want to be good, they won't let me."

thoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.

tryverbUS /traɪ/

make an effort or attempt

From this reading "It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.

usenounUS /juːs/

the act of using

From this reading "It's no use for me to try to do right," he murmured to himself.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading "If I want to be good, they won't let me."

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading As these thoughts passed through his mind, a feeling of recklessness came over him, and he said aloud-- "I don't care what I do!"

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

won't

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

From this reading "If I want to be good, they won't let me."

wrongadjectiveUS /rɔːŋ/

not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

WRONGEDverbUS /rɔːŋd/

past form of “wrong” — treat unjustly; do wrong to

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading WRONGED and repelled, Andrew left the presence of his father, sad, hopeless, yet with a sense of indignation in his heart against that father for the wrong he had suffered at his hands.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Don't you, indeed?"

Chapter 4 of The Iron Rule by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur holds 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 Iron Rule contain?

Chapter 4 holds 223 sentences of The Iron Rule, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Iron Rule by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of The Iron Rule?

Work through the 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 45 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.

Questions about reading The Iron Rule

Common questions about reading The Iron Rule by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Iron Rule?

Yes. All 2091 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4628 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Iron Rule is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4628, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Iron Rule take to read?

About 174 minutes of reading across 419 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Iron Rule section by section

How to work through The Iron Rule section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Iron Rule to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Iron Rule

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Iron Rule, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Andrew
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Iron Rule; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Howland
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Iron Rule; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Belonged
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Iron Rule; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Class
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Iron Rule; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.