Chapter 4 of The Long Journey is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Long Journey is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But the Governor's agent laughed. "Does a man pay extra to his servants?" "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad. The agent shook his fist. "Return your arms and get back to your work!"
Chapter 4 of The Long Journey is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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.
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading “But the Governor's agent laughed.”
English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)
From this reading “"You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.”
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading “"You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.”
more than is needed, desired, or required
From this reading “"Does a man pay extra to his servants?"”
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading “The agent shook his fist.”
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading “"You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.”
possessive form of “governor” — the head of a state government
From this reading “But the Governor's agent laughed.”
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “"Does a man pay extra to his servants?"”
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.
recover something or somebody that appeared to be lost
In this reading “"Return your arms and get back to your work!"”
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 "Does a man pay extra to his servants?"
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading But the Governor's agent laughed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Return your arms and get back to your work!"
weapons considered collectively
From this reading "Return your arms and get back to your work!"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Return your arms and get back to your work!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the Governor's agent laughed.
English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Does a man pay extra to his servants?"
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
more than is needed, desired, or required
From this reading "Does a man pay extra to his servants?"
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading The agent shook his fist.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Return your arms and get back to your work!"
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
possessive form of “governor” — the head of a state government
From this reading But the Governor's agent laughed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Does a man pay extra to his servants?"
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading But the Governor's agent laughed.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Does a man pay extra to his servants?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading "Does a man pay extra to his servants?"
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Return your arms and get back to your work!"
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading "Does a man pay extra to his servants?"
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading The agent shook his fist.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But the Governor's agent laughed.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Does a man pay extra to his servants?"
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
during the time that
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "Return your arms and get back to your work!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "You did not give us our due food while they were away!" cried young Conrad.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Return your arms and get back to your work!"
Chapter 4 of The Long Journey by Elsie Singmaster holds 468 sentences, grouped into 94 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 468 sentences of The Long Journey, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Long Journey by Elsie Singmaster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 468 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 Long Journey by Elsie Singmaster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2302 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50470 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50470, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 191 minutes of reading across 461 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Long Journey section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Long Journey 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 Long Journey, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
