Chapter 4 of The Laughter of Peterkin is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Laughter of Peterkin is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Fifth, there is this. In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish. So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear. I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua. “Sixth, there is this.
Chapter 4 of The Laughter of Peterkin is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.”
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading “So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.”
a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon
From this reading ““Fifth, there is this.”
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading “So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.”
any of several breeds of dog used for hunting typically having large drooping ears
From this reading “In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.”
come into possession of
From this reading “I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.”
coming next after the fifth and just before the seventh in position
From this reading ““Sixth, there is this.”
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 “So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.”
In this reading “So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.”
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 In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
very far away in space or time
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon
From this reading “Fifth, there is this.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
any of several breeds of dog used for hunting typically having large drooping ears
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Fifth, there is this.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
come into possession of
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
coming next after the fifth and just before the seventh in position
From this reading “Sixth, there is this.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
not in physical motion
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In a further land still, that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Fifth, there is this.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Fifth, there is this.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
precisely as stated
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading So fierce is he that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear.
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading I do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with ye from far-off Irrua.
Chapter 4 of The Laughter of Peterkin by William Sharp holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of The Laughter of Peterkin, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Laughter of Peterkin by William Sharp exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Laughter of Peterkin by William Sharp on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2599 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50292 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50292, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 216 minutes of reading across 520 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Laughter of Peterkin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Laughter of Peterkin 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 Laughter of Peterkin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
