Chapter 4 of The Stowmarket Mystery is here in full — 226 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 Stowmarket Mystery is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt. David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation. Margaret, too, had risen. She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse. For an instant the situation was electrical.
Chapter 4 of The Stowmarket Mystery is here in full — 226 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.
-ing form of “battle” — battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
From this reading “She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.”
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading “She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.”
relating to or concerned with electricity
From this reading “For an instant the situation was electrical.”
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading “David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.”
Scottish philosopher skeptical philosophy restricted human knowledge to that which can be perceived by the senses (1711-1776)
From this reading “David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.”
a gaudy outward display
From this reading “David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.”
naturally having skin of a dark color
From this reading “FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.”
aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing
From this reading “FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.”
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 She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
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 FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For an instant the situation was electrical.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
expected hopefully
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
-ing form of “battle” — battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
relating to or concerned with electricity
From this reading For an instant the situation was electrical.
any strong feeling
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
with resolute determination
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For an instant the situation was electrical.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Margaret, too, had risen.
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
Scottish philosopher skeptical philosophy restricted human knowledge to that which can be perceived by the senses (1711-1776)
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
an instinctive motive
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For an instant the situation was electrical.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Margaret, too, had risen.
a gaudy outward display
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading Margaret, too, had risen.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading For an instant the situation was electrical.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
naturally having skin of a dark color
From this reading FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing
From this reading FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Margaret, too, had risen.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For an instant the situation was electrical.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She appeared to be battling with some powerful emotion, choking back a fierce impulse.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading David Hume leaped up, but Brett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation.
Chapter 4 of The Stowmarket Mystery by Louis Tracy holds 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 226 sentences of The Stowmarket Mystery, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Stowmarket Mystery by Louis Tracy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 226 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 Stowmarket Mystery by Louis Tracy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5201 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14853 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14853, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 433 minutes of reading across 1041 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Stowmarket Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Stowmarket Mystery 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 Stowmarket Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
