Chapter 4 of The White Gauntlet is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The White Gauntlet is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation. I shall alter it. You will come to-morrow? Father gives a _fete_ in our park. 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
Chapter 4 of The White Gauntlet is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading “I shall alter it.”
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading “'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.”
large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
From this reading “'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.”
have a celebration
vague or not clearly defined or stated
From this reading “"Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.”
an ordered reference standard
From this reading “'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.”
at some indefinite or unstated time
From this reading “"Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.”
plural of “sport” — an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading “'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.”
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.
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 Father gives a _fete_ in our park.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading I shall alter it.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading You will come to-morrow?
large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Father gives a _fete_ in our park.
have a celebration
From this reading Father gives a _fete_ in our park.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading Father gives a _fete_ in our park.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I shall alter it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Father gives a _fete_ in our park.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
vague or not clearly defined or stated
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I shall alter it.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
an old word for “no”
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Father gives a _fete_ in our park.
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading Father gives a _fete_ in our park.
an ordered reference standard
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I shall alter it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
at some indefinite or unstated time
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
plural of “sport” — an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading 'Tis my birthday; and the sports, I believe, have been arranged on an extensive scale.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You will come to-morrow?
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Nay, Master Holtspur, `sometime' is too indefinite; but, indeed, so has been my invitation.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading You will come to-morrow?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You will come to-morrow?
Chapter 4 of The White Gauntlet by Mayne Reid holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 413 sentences of The White Gauntlet, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The White Gauntlet by Mayne Reid exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 White Gauntlet by Mayne Reid on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9053 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35702 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35702, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1811 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The White Gauntlet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The White Gauntlet 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 White Gauntlet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
