Chapter 4 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 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 Knew Too Much is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye. At last he spoke. "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider. I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best. But is it best?
Chapter 4 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
lost in thought; showing preoccupation
From this reading “There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.”
a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
From this reading “I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.”
deem to be
From this reading “"Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.”
render capable or able for some task
From this reading “I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.”
full of life and energy
From this reading “"Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.”
relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administration of a city or town or district rather than a larger area
From this reading “"Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.”
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading “"Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.”
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 There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
lost in thought; showing preoccupation
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last he spoke.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
deem to be
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
carefully weighed
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
render capable or able for some task
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
the organ of sight
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At last he spoke.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
immediately past
From this reading At last he spoke.
full of life and energy
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administration of a city or town or district rather than a larger area
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
term of address for a man
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading At last he spoke.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Quite so; but look here, if the local feeling is as lively as that there are a good many points to consider.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I believe the new Act will enable me to collar him now if I think it best.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There was a silence, and Sir Walter considered the papers before him with an abstracted eye.
Chapter 4 of The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 175 sentences of The Man Who Knew Too Much, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1720 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1720, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 620 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Who Knew Too Much section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Man Who Knew Too Much 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 Knew Too Much, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
