Chapter 4 of The Road is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Road is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name. Said hobo got up. "Vagrancy, your Honor," said the bailiff, and his Honor said, "Thirty days." And so it went, fifteen seconds and thirty days to each hobo. The machine of justice was grinding smoothly.
Chapter 4 of The Road is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
an officer of the court who is employed to execute writs and processes and make arrests etc.
From this reading “"Vagrancy, your Honor," said the bailiff, and his Honor said, "Thirty days."”
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading “And so it went, fifteen seconds and thirty days to each hobo.”
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading “The machine of justice was grinding smoothly.”
a vagrant
From this reading “"Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “The machine of justice was grinding smoothly.”
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “And so it went, fifteen seconds and thirty days to each hobo.”
with no problems or difficulties
From this reading “The machine of justice was grinding smoothly.”
the state of wandering from place to place; having no permanent home or means of livelihood
From this reading “"Vagrancy, your Honor," said the bailiff, and his Honor said, "Thirty days."”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.
an officer of the court who is employed to execute writs and processes and make arrests etc.
From this reading "Vagrancy, your Honor," said the bailiff, and his Honor said, "Thirty days."
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading "Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading And so it went, fifteen seconds and thirty days to each hobo.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading And so it went, fifteen seconds and thirty days to each hobo.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Said hobo got up.
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading The machine of justice was grinding smoothly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.
a vagrant
From this reading Said hobo got up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading "Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And so it went, fifteen seconds and thirty days to each hobo.
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading The machine of justice was grinding smoothly.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading The machine of justice was grinding smoothly.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The machine of justice was grinding smoothly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading And so it went, fifteen seconds and thirty days to each hobo.
with no problems or difficulties
From this reading The machine of justice was grinding smoothly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And so it went, fifteen seconds and thirty days to each hobo.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Vagrancy, your Honor," said the bailiff, and his Honor said, "Thirty days."
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading "Thirty days," said his Honor, and called another hobo's name.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And so it went, fifteen seconds and thirty days to each hobo.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Said hobo got up.
the state of wandering from place to place; having no permanent home or means of livelihood
From this reading "Vagrancy, your Honor," said the bailiff, and his Honor said, "Thirty days."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The machine of justice was grinding smoothly.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And so it went, fifteen seconds and thirty days to each hobo.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Vagrancy, your Honor," said the bailiff, and his Honor said, "Thirty days."
Chapter 4 of The Road by Jack London holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of The Road, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Road by Jack London exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Road by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3347 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14658 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14658, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 278 minutes of reading across 670 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Road section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Road 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 Road, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
