Chapter 4 of The Rover Boys in Business is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Rover Boys in Business is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause. "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief. "Didn't somebody go into the office after you were there?" "I don't know, Tom. In fact, nobody seems to know."
Chapter 4 of The Rover Boys in Business is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “"Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.”
a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading “"Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.”
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading “A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.”
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.”
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “"Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “"Didn't somebody go into the office after you were there?"”
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “"Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.”
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 A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
later than; following
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Didn't somebody go into the office after you were there?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know, Tom.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading In fact, nobody seems to know."
having a flat or flattened upper surface
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
a young female
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Didn't somebody go into the office after you were there?"
a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know, Tom.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Didn't somebody go into the office after you were there?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know, Tom.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
no person; not anyone
From this reading In fact, nobody seems to know."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading "Didn't somebody go into the office after you were there?"
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading In fact, nobody seems to know."
a person, without saying who
From this reading "Didn't somebody go into the office after you were there?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Didn't somebody go into the office after you were there?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In fact, nobody seems to know."
male cat
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Didn't somebody go into the office after you were there?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
an affirmative
From this reading "Why, yes, it was lying in the middle of a flat-top desk," responded the girl, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A FOUR-HUNDRED-DOLLAR RING "Did you see this ring, Nellie?" questioned Tom, after a painful pause.
Chapter 4 of The Rover Boys in Business by Edward Stratemeyer holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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.
Chapter 4 holds 167 sentences of The Rover Boys in Business, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Rover Boys in Business by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Rover Boys in Business by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4150 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5002 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5002, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 345 minutes of reading across 830 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rover Boys in Business section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Rover Boys in Business 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 Rover Boys in Business, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
