Chapter 4 of The Night of the Trolls is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Night of the Trolls is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Crude, maybe, but it will work. And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me." I looked across at the giant machine. "Suppose it doesn't recognize me? It's been a while.
Chapter 4 of The Night of the Trolls is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
not carefully or expertly made
From this reading “"Crude, maybe, but it will work.”
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading “And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."”
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading “I looked across at the giant machine.”
property that is leased or rented out or let
From this reading “And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “I looked across at the giant machine.”
by chance
From this reading “"Crude, maybe, but it will work.”
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading “And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."”
accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading “"Suppose it doesn't recognize me?”
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 “And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."”
be oriented in a certain direction
In this reading “I looked across at the giant machine.”
In this reading “And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."”
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 And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
from one side of something to the other
From this reading I looked across at the giant machine.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It's been a while.
next to; at the side of
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Crude, maybe, but it will work.
not carefully or expertly made
From this reading "Crude, maybe, but it will work.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Suppose it doesn't recognize me?
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading I looked across at the giant machine.
a young female
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I looked across at the giant machine.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Crude, maybe, but it will work.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's been a while.
property that is leased or rented out or let
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I looked across at the giant machine.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading I looked across at the giant machine.
by chance
From this reading "Crude, maybe, but it will work.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading "Suppose it doesn't recognize me?
To recall to mind.
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
precisely, exactly
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
express a supposition
From this reading "Suppose it doesn't recognize me?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
during the time that
From this reading It's been a while.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Crude, maybe, but it will work.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "Crude, maybe, but it will work.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And if you get any idea of letting fly a round or two at random--remember the girl will be right beside me."
Chapter 4 of The Night of the Trolls by Keith Laumer holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of The Night of the Trolls, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Night of the Trolls by Keith Laumer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Night of the Trolls by Keith Laumer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1764 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53132 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53132, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 147 minutes of reading across 353 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Night of the Trolls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Night of the Trolls 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 Night of the Trolls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
