Chapter 4 of The Old Man of the Mountain is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Old Man of the Mountain is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse. "By Jinks!" Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!" "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied. "Come and have a look at him."
Chapter 4 of The Old Man of the Mountain is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading “MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.”
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading “MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.”
a stroke of luck
From this reading “"I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.”
English film actress who later became a member of British Parliament (born in 1936)
From this reading “Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"”
noisy and mischievous merrymaking
From this reading “"By Jinks!"”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"”
occurring by chance
From this reading “MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.”
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading “MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “"Come and have a look at him."”
bring forth, usually something desirable
In this reading “Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"”
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 never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Come and have a look at him."
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Come and have a look at him."
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"
(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Chinese descent
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come and have a look at him."
a dense growth of bushes
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"
pleasantly occupied
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
a stroke of luck
From this reading "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Come and have a look at him."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
English film actress who later became a member of British Parliament (born in 1936)
From this reading Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"
noisy and mischievous merrymaking
From this reading "By Jinks!"
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Come and have a look at him."
occurring by chance
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "I never made such a fluke in my life," Forrester replied.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading MORE MYSTERY Forrester’s attention was diverted from the Chinaman by the appearance of his friends, whom the sound of his lucky shot had drawn through the copse.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Jackson cried as they came up, "you killed him!"
Chapter 4 of The Old Man of the Mountain by Herbert Strang holds 153 sentences, grouped into 31 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 153 sentences of The Old Man of the Mountain, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Old Man of the Mountain by Herbert Strang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 153 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Old Man of the Mountain by Herbert Strang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3719 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40751 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40751, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 309 minutes of reading across 744 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Old Man of the Mountain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Old Man of the Mountain 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 Old Man of the Mountain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
