Chapter 4 of The Man Who Could Not Lose is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Man Who Could Not Lose is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him. Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below. He had never known such popularity. The crowd had read the newspapers, and such head-lines as “He Cannot Lose!” “Young Carter Wins $70,000!”
Chapter 4 of The Man Who Could Not Lose is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading “Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.”
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading “When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.”
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “The crowd had read the newspapers, and such head-lines as “He Cannot Lose!””
the state of being known for some unfavorable act or quality
From this reading “When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.”
the quality of being widely admired or accepted or sought after
From this reading “He had never known such popularity.”
past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading “When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.”
past form of “surge” — rise and move, as in waves or billows
From this reading “Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.”
plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)
From this reading ““Young Carter Wins $70,000!””
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Young Carter Wins $70,000!”
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The crowd had read the newspapers, and such head-lines as “He Cannot Lose!”
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
set up or found
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The crowd had read the newspapers, and such head-lines as “He Cannot Lose!”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading He had never known such popularity.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading The crowd had read the newspapers, and such head-lines as “He Cannot Lose!”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He had never known such popularity.
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading The crowd had read the newspapers, and such head-lines as “He Cannot Lose!”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
the state of being known for some unfavorable act or quality
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
the quality of being widely admired or accepted or sought after
From this reading He had never known such popularity.
past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
any competition
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading The crowd had read the newspapers, and such head-lines as “He Cannot Lose!”
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading He had never known such popularity.
past form of “surge” — rise and move, as in waves or billows
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
up to a particular time
From this reading Ambitious did not run until the fourth race, and until then, as he sat in his box, an eager crowd surged below.
at the time that
From this reading When Carter reached the track he found his notoriety had preceded him.
plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)
From this reading “Young Carter Wins $70,000!”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Young Carter Wins $70,000!”
Chapter 4 of The Man Who Could Not Lose by Richard Harding Davis holds 225 sentences, grouped into 45 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 225 sentences of The Man Who Could Not Lose, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Man Who Could Not Lose by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 225 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.
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.
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 Man Who Could Not Lose by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 903 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1760 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1760, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 75 minutes of reading across 181 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Who Could Not Lose section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Man Who Could Not Lose 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 Man Who Could Not Lose, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
