Chapter 4 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice. “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage. “You know the secret of our race?” “I do. Understand me,—I do not object to the eccentricities of your youth.
Chapter 4 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/9 · 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 quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading ““Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.”
plural of “eccentricity” — strange and unconventional behavior
From this reading “Understand me,—I do not object to the eccentricities of your youth.”
in a haughty manner
From this reading ““Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.”
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading ““Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.”
A ghost or apparition; a figment of the imagination or a hidden dweller.
From this reading ““Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.”
any competition
From this reading ““You know the secret of our race?””
freed from illness or injury
From this reading ““Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.”
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading ““Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.”
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 “Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “I do.
plural of “eccentricity” — strange and unconventional behavior
From this reading Understand me,—I do not object to the eccentricities of your youth.
refrain from doing
From this reading “Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.
in a haughty manner
From this reading “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading “Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You know the secret of our race?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Understand me,—I do not object to the eccentricities of your youth.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Understand me,—I do not object to the eccentricities of your youth.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading Understand me,—I do not object to the eccentricities of your youth.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You know the secret of our race?”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “You know the secret of our race?”
A ghost or apparition; a figment of the imagination or a hidden dweller.
From this reading “Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.
any competition
From this reading “You know the secret of our race?”
freed from illness or injury
From this reading “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “You know the secret of our race?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Understand me,—I do not object to the eccentricities of your youth.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Understand me,—I do not object to the eccentricities of your youth.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Forbear, Selina,” said the phantom in a hollow voice.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why should I forbear?” responded Selina haughtily, as she recovered her courage.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You know the secret of our race?”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Understand me,—I do not object to the eccentricities of your youth.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading Understand me,—I do not object to the eccentricities of your youth.
Chapter 4 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte holds 46 sentences, grouped into 10 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 46 sentences of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 46 sentences, grouped into 10 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 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 10 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 Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6205 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6373 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6373, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 517 minutes of reading across 1241 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales 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 Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
