Chapter 4 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Come!" he said. "My house is close by. It had better be bathed at once." "Yes," she assented shakily. "Don't cry!" he said, with blunt kindliness.
Chapter 4 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “bathe” — cleanse the entire body
From this reading “It had better be bathed at once."”
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “It had better be bathed at once."”
having a broad or rounded end
From this reading “"Don't cry!" he said, with blunt kindliness.”
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading “"My house is close by.”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “"Don't cry!" he said, with blunt kindliness.”
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “"My house is close by.”
on one occasion
From this reading “It had better be bathed at once."”
an affirmative
From this reading “"Yes," she assented shakily.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," she assented shakily.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It had better be bathed at once."
past form of “bathe” — cleanse the entire body
From this reading It had better be bathed at once."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It had better be bathed at once."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading It had better be bathed at once."
having a broad or rounded end
From this reading "Don't cry!" he said, with blunt kindliness.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "My house is close by.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading "My house is close by.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come!" he said.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Don't cry!" he said, with blunt kindliness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't cry!" he said, with blunt kindliness.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had better be bathed at once."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Come!" he said.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "My house is close by.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My house is close by.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had better be bathed at once."
friendliness evidence by a kindly and helpful disposition
From this reading "Don't cry!" he said, with blunt kindliness.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My house is close by.
on one occasion
From this reading It had better be bathed at once."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Come!" he said.
in an insecurely shaky manner
From this reading "Yes," she assented shakily.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes," she assented shakily.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Don't cry!" he said, with blunt kindliness.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," she assented shakily.
Chapter 4 of The Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of The Swindler and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8523 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18644 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18644, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1705 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Swindler and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Swindler 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 Swindler and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
