Chapter 4 of The secret of the island is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The secret of the island is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But Neb?" repeated the engineer. "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us! He will be sure to come!" "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!" "Is there really no way of warning him?"
Chapter 4 of The secret of the island is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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 person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading “"But Neb?" repeated the engineer.”
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading “"And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"”
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading “"It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “"And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “"It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!”
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading “"And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"”
recurring again and again
From this reading “"But Neb?" repeated the engineer.”
a message informing of danger
From this reading “"Is there really no way of warning him?"”
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He will be sure to come!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But Neb?" repeated the engineer.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He will be sure to come!"
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading "But Neb?" repeated the engineer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Is there really no way of warning him?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
a long projecting or anterior elongation of an animal's head; especially the nose
From this reading "But Neb?" repeated the engineer.
information about recent and important events
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
not any; not one
From this reading "Is there really no way of warning him?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Is there really no way of warning him?"
recurring again and again
From this reading "But Neb?" repeated the engineer.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading He will be sure to come!"
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But Neb?" repeated the engineer.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Is there really no way of warning him?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He will be sure to come!"
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It is now four-and-twenty hours since he has had any news of us!
a message informing of danger
From this reading "Is there really no way of warning him?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Is there really no way of warning him?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "And as he will be less on his guard than we should be ourselves," added Spilett, "he will be killed!"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading He will be sure to come!"
Chapter 4 of The secret of the island by Jules Verne holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 444 sentences of The secret of the island, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The secret of the island by Jules Verne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 secret of the island by Jules Verne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3577 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21489 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21489, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 298 minutes of reading across 716 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The secret of the island section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The secret of the island 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 secret of the island, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
