Chapter 4 of The Son of a Servant is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Son of a Servant is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But this lasted only for a week. On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother." "Very well," replied his brother. They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one. While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
Chapter 4 of The Son of a Servant is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
an arrangement of flowers that is usually given as a present
From this reading “On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."”
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."”
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading “While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.”
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading “While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.”
past form of “last” — persist for a specified period of time
From this reading “But this lasted only for a week.”
in an open way
From this reading “While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.”
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading “While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.”
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “But this lasted only for a week.”
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 “While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.”
to come or go into
In this reading “While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.”
In this reading “They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one.”
(New Testament) day at the end of time following Armageddon when God will decree the fates of all individual humans according to the good and evil of their earthly lives
In this reading “On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."”
In this reading “But this lasted only for a week.”
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 But this lasted only for a week.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
an arrangement of flowers that is usually given as a present
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "Very well," replied his brother.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this lasted only for a week.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But this lasted only for a week.
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Very well," replied his brother.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
immediately past
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
past form of “last” — persist for a specified period of time
From this reading But this lasted only for a week.
go away from a place
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one.
and nothing more
From this reading But this lasted only for a week.
in an open way
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one.
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Very well," replied his brother.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this lasted only for a week.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well," replied his brother.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading But this lasted only for a week.
(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 "Very well," replied his brother.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading They went to the nursery-man, and Gustav gave the order that the bouquet should be a fine one.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading On the last day before they were to leave, John said to Gustav: "Let us buy a fine bouquet for mother."
during the time that
From this reading While it was being made up, he went into the garden and plucked fruit quite openly.
Chapter 4 of The Son of a Servant by August Strindberg holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 436 sentences of The Son of a Servant, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Son of a Servant by August Strindberg exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Son of a Servant by August Strindberg on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3436 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44109 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44109, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 286 minutes of reading across 688 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Son of a Servant section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Son of a Servant 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 Son of a Servant, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
