Chapter 4 of The Machine That Floats is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Machine That Floats is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"_Morrow? Well, hi yourself! Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said. "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours. You going to be home?"
Chapter 4 of The Machine That Floats is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.”
let fall to the ground
From this reading “"I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.”
a major road for any form of motor transport
From this reading “Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.”
the next day
From this reading “Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.”
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading “"I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.”
go across or through
From this reading “"I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.”
a city in north central California 75 miles to the northeast of San Francisco on the Sacramento River; capital of California
From this reading “"I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.”
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “"I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.”
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 “"I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.”
make a passage or journey from one place to another
In this reading “"I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.”
In this reading “Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.”
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 "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.
let fall to the ground
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.
the act of departing
From this reading You going to be home?"
an expression of greeting
From this reading Well, hi yourself!
a major road for any form of motor transport
From this reading Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading You going to be home?"
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
the next day
From this reading "_Morrow?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
go across or through
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
a city in north central California 75 miles to the northeast of San Francisco on the Sacramento River; capital of California
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, hi yourself!
in or at the place that
From this reading Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading "I'm on my way north and wondered if I might drop in as I pass through Sacramento--I ought to be there in a few hours.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Where you calling from?_" "I'm on the highway," Morrow said.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading Well, hi yourself!
Chapter 4 of The Machine That Floats by Joe Gibson holds 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 455 sentences of The Machine That Floats, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Machine That Floats by Joe Gibson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Machine That Floats by Joe Gibson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2256 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49693 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49693, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 188 minutes of reading across 452 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Machine That Floats section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Machine That Floats 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 Machine That Floats, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
