Chapter 4 of The Prisoner is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Prisoner is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back." But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here. Let her get a word with him alone. "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey. "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
Chapter 4 of The Prisoner is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading “But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.”
an established custom
From this reading “"Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."”
cheerfully encouraging
From this reading “"Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."”
in a heated manner
From this reading “But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.”
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.”
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading “"Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."”
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading “"Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."”
analysis into clear-cut components
From this reading “But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.”
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 Let her get a word with him alone.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Let her get a word with him alone.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Let her get a word with him alone.
the act of departing
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
an established custom
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
cheerfully encouraging
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Let her get a word with him alone.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Let her get a word with him alone.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
in a heated manner
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Let her get a word with him alone.
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
analysis into clear-cut components
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But she was hotly resolving that he should learn his duty and stay here.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What I'm going to do out there I don't know," said Jeffrey.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Let her get a word with him alone.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Let her get a word with him alone.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," said Lydia, from the habit they had learned of heartening Farvie, "he'll come back."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But I am going to work, and I'm going to turn in enough to keep you as you ought to be.
Chapter 4 of The Prisoner by Alice Brown holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The Prisoner, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Prisoner by Alice Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Prisoner by Alice Brown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10669 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29366 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29366, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2134 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Prisoner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Prisoner 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 Prisoner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
