Chapter 4 of The Secret Sharer is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 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 Sharer is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place. He had. And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.” I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail. “Yes.
Chapter 4 of The Secret Sharer is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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 “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.””
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading “And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.””
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading ““Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.”
any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something
From this reading “And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.””
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
From this reading “I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail.”
an act of economizing; reduction in cost
From this reading “I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail.”
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading “I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.””
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 And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
all things; all of a situation
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
the lowest sail on the foremast of a square-rigged vessel
From this reading I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had.
only a very short time before
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
above and across; more than
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
From this reading I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail.
an act of economizing; reduction in cost
From this reading I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
in the near future
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading I understood the reference to be to that saving foresail.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading And the proof of it was his earnest whisper, “The man told you he hardly dared to give the order.”
the words that are spoken
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Did you hear everything?” were my first words as soon as we took up our position side by side, leaning over my bed place.
Chapter 4 of The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad holds 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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 227 sentences of The Secret Sharer, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Sharer by Joseph Conrad on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1150 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #220 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #220, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 95 minutes of reading across 230 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Sharer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Secret Sharer 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 Sharer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
