Chapter 4 of The Sirdar's Oath is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Sirdar's Oath is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam. "No, I don't," Hilda answered. "I won't go into it now. I don't want to frighten all you poor creatures." They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
Chapter 4 of The Sirdar's Oath is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
British general and statesman whose victory at Plassey in 1757 strengthened British control of India (1725-1774)
From this reading “"I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.”
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “I don't want to frighten all you poor creatures."”
-ing form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.”
cause fear in
From this reading “I don't want to frighten all you poor creatures."”
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading “They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.”
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading “They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.”
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading “They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.”
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading “They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “I don't want to frighten all you poor creatures."”
In this reading “They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.”
to come or go into
In this reading “"I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.”
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.
(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 I don't want to frighten all you poor creatures."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "No, I don't," Hilda answered.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
British general and statesman whose victory at Plassey in 1757 strengthened British control of India (1725-1774)
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading I don't want to frighten all you poor creatures."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, I don't," Hilda answered.
-ing form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
cause fear in
From this reading I don't want to frighten all you poor creatures."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, I don't," Hilda answered.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I won't go into it now.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, I don't," Hilda answered.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "I won't go into it now.
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading I don't want to frighten all you poor creatures."
on the contrary
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I believe Miss Clive means to go into the _tangi_," said Haslam.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I don't want to frighten all you poor creatures."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading They laughed, rather weakly it must be owned--all but Raynier, that is, for he was in the know, and was enjoying the situation immensely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I won't go into it now.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I don't want to frighten all you poor creatures."
Chapter 4 of The Sirdar's Oath by Bertram Mitford holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of The Sirdar's Oath, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Sirdar's Oath by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Sirdar's Oath by Bertram Mitford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3328 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36605 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36605, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 277 minutes of reading across 666 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sirdar's Oath section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Sirdar's Oath 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 Sirdar's Oath, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
