Chapter 4 of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I am Mr. Ballin." His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so. "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest. "I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon." So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.
Chapter 4 of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn
From this reading “So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.”
surprising greatly
From this reading “His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.”
offensively bold
From this reading “So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.”
make up
From this reading “"It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.”
a midday meal
From this reading “"I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon."”
past form of “peruse” — examine or consider with attention and in detail
From this reading “His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.”
text handwritten in the style of printed matter
From this reading “So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.”
throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading “"It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.”
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 "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am Mr. Ballin."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon."
a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn
From this reading So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.
surprising greatly
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I am Mr. Ballin."
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading "I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon."
offensively bold
From this reading So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.
make up
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
recognizable; marked
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
skillful performance or ability without difficulty
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am Mr. Ballin."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.
a midday meal
From this reading "I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I am Mr. Ballin."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.
past form of “peruse” — examine or consider with attention and in detail
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon."
text handwritten in the style of printed matter
From this reading So much assumption on the part of a stranger has a cheeky look in the printing.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
move hurridly
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was the toss of a coin that decided me to come," said Forrest.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading His eyes perused the stranger with astonishing speed and deftness, without seeming to do so.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I have asked your butler to lay a place for me at luncheon."
Chapter 4 of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Spread Eagle and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4414 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9888 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9888, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 883 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spread Eagle and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories 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 Spread Eagle and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
