Chapter 4 of The Runaway is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Runaway is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RODNEY FINDS A PATRON. Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves. He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day. He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried. In what a position had a single day placed him!
Chapter 4 of The Runaway is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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 large bundle bound for storage or transport
From this reading “He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.”
soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
From this reading “He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.”
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading “Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.”
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading “He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.”
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading “RODNEY FINDS A PATRON.”
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading “He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.”
a regular customer
From this reading “RODNEY FINDS A PATRON.”
past form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading “Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.”
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 RODNEY FINDS A PATRON.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.
a large bundle bound for storage or transport
From this reading He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.
soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
From this reading He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading RODNEY FINDS A PATRON.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In what a position had a single day placed him!
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.
a regular customer
From this reading RODNEY FINDS A PATRON.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading In what a position had a single day placed him!
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading In what a position had a single day placed him!
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RODNEY FINDS A PATRON.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading In what a position had a single day placed him!
past form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.
precisely as stated
From this reading He was very sad, and sat down on a cotton bale, and cried.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was hungry, for he had eaten nothing all day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Late in the afternoon Rodney strolled up the East River wharves.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading In what a position had a single day placed him!
Chapter 4 of The Runaway by Unknown holds 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 71 sentences of The Runaway, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Runaway by Unknown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 Runaway by Unknown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Runaway section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Runaway 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 Runaway, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
