Chapter 4 of The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Oh! did he?” I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.” “What?” she asked. “Oh! well, many things,” I retorted. “He might have filled them again with beer.”
Chapter 4 of The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading ““What?” she asked.”
a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops
From this reading ““He might have filled them again with beer.””
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.””
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading ““He might have filled them again with beer.””
set up or found
From this reading “I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.””
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading ““Oh! well, many things,” I retorted.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.””
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading ““Oh! well, many things,” I retorted.”
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.
anew
From this reading “He might have filled them again with beer.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What?” she asked.
a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops
From this reading “He might have filled them again with beer.”
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Oh! did he?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading “He might have filled them again with beer.”
set up or found
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Oh! did he?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading “Oh! well, many things,” I retorted.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh! did he?”
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading “Oh! well, many things,” I retorted.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “What?” she asked.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Oh! well, many things,” I retorted.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Oh! well, many things,” I retorted.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What?” she asked.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I said; “I should have thought he might have found something better to do with them.”
Chapter 4 of The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 213 sentences of The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4043 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1915 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1915, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 336 minutes of reading across 809 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow 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 Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
