Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Red One
The Red One

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Red One is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Red One
Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
And that was the railroad I was to work for.
All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.
The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.
And it was so dangerous that the trains didn’t run nights.
The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.
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 Red One

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Red One is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
And that was the railroad I was to work for.
Line 2
All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.
Line 3
The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.
Line 4
And it was so dangerous that the trains didn’t run nights.
Line 5
The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

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.

Nights noun US /naɪts/

Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

From this reading “And it was so dangerous that the trains didn’t run nights.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

All

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

And

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

From this reading “And that was the railroad I was to work for.

at

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

Chimborazo

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

dangerous

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

From this reading And it was so dangerous that the trains didn’t run nights.

daylight

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

didn't

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

From this reading And it was so dangerous that the trains didn’t run nights.

down

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

Duran

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

feet

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

few

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

for

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

From this reading “And that was the railroad I was to work for.

from

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

get

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

had

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

he

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

I

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

From this reading “And that was the railroad I was to work for.

in

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

it

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

From this reading And it was so dangerous that the trains didn’t run nights.

level

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

me

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

minutes

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

next

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

night

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

nightsnounUS /naɪts/

Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

From this reading And it was so dangerous that the trains didn’t run nights.

nothing

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

of

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

off

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

on

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

other

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

passengers

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

Quito

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

railroad

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

From this reading “And that was the railroad I was to work for.

ran

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

range

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

road

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

run

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

From this reading And it was so dangerous that the trains didn’t run nights.

sea

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

side

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

sleep

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

so

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

From this reading And it was so dangerous that the trains didn’t run nights.

ten

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

that

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

From this reading “And that was the railroad I was to work for.

the

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

From this reading “And that was the railroad I was to work for.

thousand

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

through

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

to

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

From this reading “And that was the railroad I was to work for.

told

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

towns

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

train

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

trains

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

From this reading And it was so dangerous that the trains didn’t run nights.

twelve

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

up

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

From this reading The road ran from sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range.

waited

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

was

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

From this reading “And that was the railroad I was to work for.

what

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

which

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

From this reading All of which was nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes.

while

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

From this reading The through passengers had to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight.

work

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

From this reading “And that was the railroad I was to work for.

Chapter 4 of The Red One by Jack London holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

What does chapter 4 of The Red One contain?

Chapter 4 holds 187 sentences of The Red One, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Red One by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 Red One?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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 Red One

Common questions about reading The Red One by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Red One?

Yes. All 2309 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #788 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Red One is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #788, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Red One take to read?

About 192 minutes of reading across 462 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Red One section by section

How to work through The Red One section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Red One 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 Red One

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Red One, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red One; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Valley
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red One; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Jerry
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red One; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Islands
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red One; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.