Chapter 4 of The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Knocked!” When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway. No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out. We were in the midst of it, and knew it was either the Germans or us. So we at them.
Chapter 4 of The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading “When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.”
plural of “german” — a person of German nationality
From this reading “When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading ““Knocked!””
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading “We were in the midst of it, and knew it was either the Germans or us.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.”
a road (especially that part of a road) over which vehicles travel
From this reading “When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.”
plural of “trench” — a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading “When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.”
rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
From this reading “No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.”
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.
the middle or central part or point
In this reading “We were in the midst of it, and knew it was either the Germans or us.”
sound loudly
In this reading “No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.”
In this reading “When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.”
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 No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading So we at them.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
one or the other of two
From this reading We were in the midst of it, and knew it was either the Germans or us.
plural of “german” — a person of German nationality
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We were in the midst of it, and knew it was either the Germans or us.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading We were in the midst of it, and knew it was either the Germans or us.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “Knocked!”
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading We were in the midst of it, and knew it was either the Germans or us.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
not any; not one
From this reading No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading We were in the midst of it, and knew it was either the Germans or us.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.
a road (especially that part of a road) over which vehicles travel
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading So we at them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
plural of “trench” — a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We were in the midst of it, and knew it was either the Germans or us.
rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
From this reading No sooner had we got there than a great volley rang out.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading We were in the midst of it, and knew it was either the Germans or us.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
at the time that
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
in or at the place that
From this reading When night came we knew where the Germans were, so we crept out of the trenches and went down to the roadway.
Chapter 4 of The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins by James Milne holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 431 sentences of The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins by James Milne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins by James Milne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4169 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52142 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52142, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 834 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins 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 War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
