Chapter 4 of The Street Called Straight is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Street Called Straight is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that." "I am." Davenant nodded with some emphasis. "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?" "No. I know it wasn't.
Chapter 4 of The Street Called Straight is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
special importance or significance
From this reading “Davenant nodded with some emphasis.”
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading “"Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"”
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “"Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “"Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “Davenant nodded with some emphasis.”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading “"Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"”
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading “"I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."”
express a supposition
From this reading “"I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."”
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 "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Davenant nodded with some emphasis.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
special importance or significance
From this reading Davenant nodded with some emphasis.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "No. I know it wasn't.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "No. I know it wasn't.
immediately past
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
not any; not one
From this reading "No. I know it wasn't.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Davenant nodded with some emphasis.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Davenant nodded with some emphasis.
express a supposition
From this reading "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No. I know it wasn't.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
at the time that
From this reading "Did you think that that was what I meant when I--I opened my heart to you last night?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading Davenant nodded with some emphasis.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I didn't suppose you were in--in a position--to do that."
Chapter 4 of The Street Called Straight by Basil King holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of The Street Called Straight, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Street Called Straight by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Street Called Straight by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6982 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14394 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14394, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 581 minutes of reading across 1397 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Street Called Straight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Street Called Straight 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 Street Called Straight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
