Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The moving picture boys at Panama
The moving picture boys at Panama

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The moving picture boys at Panama is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The moving picture boys at Panama
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.
"How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.
"Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.
"Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.
Anyhow, pa says he asked him to deliver it."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The moving picture boys at Panama

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The moving picture boys at Panama is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.
Line 2
"How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.
Line 3
"Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.
Line 4
"Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.
Line 5
Anyhow, pa says he asked him to deliver it."
/ˈenihaʊ pɑː sez hiː æskt hɪm tuː dɪˈlɪvər ɪt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Baker noun US /ˈbeɪkər/

someone who bakes commercially

From this reading “"How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.”

Blake noun US /bleɪk/

visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)

From this reading “ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.”

delivery noun US /dɪˈlɪvəri/

the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)

From this reading “"Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.”

enclosure noun US /enˈkloʊʒər/

a structure consisting of an area that has been enclosed for some purpose

From this reading “ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.”

postmaster noun US /ˈpoʊstmæstər/

the person in charge of a post office

From this reading “"Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.”

preparatory adjective US /prɪˈperətɔːri/

preceding and preparing for something

From this reading “ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.”

unexpectedly adverb US /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪdli/

in a way that was not expected

From this reading “ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.”

volunteered verb US /ˌvɑːlənˈtɪrd/

past form of “volunteer” — tell voluntarily

From this reading “"Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.”

All words in this reading · 75

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

ANOTHERdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

AnyhowadverbUS /ˈenihaʊ/

used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement

From this reading Anyhow, pa says he asked him to deliver it."

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

BakernounUS /ˈbeɪkər/

someone who bakes commercially

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

BlakenounUS /bleɪk/

visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

busyadjectiveUS /ˈbɪzi/

actively or fully engaged or occupied

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

deliververbUS /dɪˈlɪvər/

deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)

From this reading Anyhow, pa says he asked him to deliver it."

deliveredverbUS /dɪˈlɪvərd/

past form of “deliver” — deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

deliverynounUS /dɪˈlɪvəri/

the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

enclosurenounUS /enˈkloʊʒər/

a structure consisting of an area that has been enclosed for some purpose

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

envelopenounUS /ˈenvəloʊp/

a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

farmernounUS /ˈfɑːrmər/

a person who operates a farm

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

generallyadverbUS /ˈdʒenərəli/

usually; as a rule

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading "Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.

guessverbUS /ɡes/

expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading "Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

How'd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

Joe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

ladnounUS /læd/

a boy or man

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/

the literary culture

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

livedverbUS /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

neighbornounUS /ˈneɪbər/

a person who lives (or is located) near another

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

panounUS /pɑː/

an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

postmasternounUS /ˈpoʊstmæstər/

the person in charge of a post office

From this reading "Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.

preparatoryadjectiveUS /prɪˈperətɔːri/

preceding and preparing for something

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

red-haired

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

Rolinson

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.

SamnounUS /sæm/

a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

saysnounUS /sez/

plural of “say” — the chance to speak

From this reading Anyhow, pa says he asked him to deliver it."

sharplyadverbUS /ˈʃɑːrpli/

in an aggressive manner

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

Sim

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

specialadjectiveUS /ˈspeʃəl/

unique or specific to a person or thing or category

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

SURPRISEnounUS /sərˈpraɪz/

the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

takesnounUS /teɪks/

plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

takingnounUS /ˈteɪkɪŋ/

the act of someone who picks up or takes something

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

tearingnounUS /ˈterɪŋ/

shedding tears

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

unexpectedlyadverbUS /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪdli/

in a way that was not expected

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

volunteeredverbUS /ˌvɑːlənˈtɪrd/

past form of “volunteer” — tell voluntarily

From this reading "Sim Rolinson, the postmaster, give it to him, I guess," volunteered Sam.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "Sim generally takes around the special delivery letters himself, but he must have been busy when this one come in, and he give it to pa.

WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading ANOTHER SURPRISE While Blake was tearing off the end of the envelope, preparatory to taking out the enclosure, Joe looked sharply at the red-haired lad who had so unexpectedly delivered it.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "How'd your father come to get our letter, Sam?" asked Joe, for the lad was the son of a farmer, who lived neighbor to Mr. Baker.

Chapter 4 of The moving picture boys at Panama by Victor Appleton holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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.

What does chapter 4 of The moving picture boys at Panama contain?

Chapter 4 holds 118 sentences of The moving picture boys at Panama, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The moving picture boys at Panama by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of The moving picture boys at Panama?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The moving picture boys at Panama

Common questions about reading The moving picture boys at Panama by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The moving picture boys at Panama?

Yes. All 2810 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10776 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The moving picture boys at Panama is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #10776, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The moving picture boys at Panama take to read?

About 234 minutes of reading across 562 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The moving picture boys at Panama section by section

How to work through The moving picture boys at Panama section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 24 chapters of The moving picture boys at Panama to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The moving picture boys at Panama

Words and structures a reader meets early in The moving picture boys at Panama, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

What--what's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The moving picture boys at Panama; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Blake
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The moving picture boys at Panama; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Yelled
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The moving picture boys at Panama; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chum's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The moving picture boys at Panama; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.