Chapter 4 of Theft: A Play In Four Acts is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Theft: A Play In Four Acts is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
(_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened. Father received a telegram. It seemed most important. His secretary followed upon the heels of the telegram. Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
Chapter 4 of Theft: A Play In Four Acts is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
From this reading “Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.”
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading “His secretary followed upon the heels of the telegram.”
a United States writer of science fiction and founder of Scientology (1911-1986)
From this reading “Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “(_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.”
of great significance or value
From this reading “It seemed most important.”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “His secretary followed upon the heels of the telegram.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “(_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “Father received a telegram.”
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 received a telegram.
later than; following
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
From this reading Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Father received a telegram.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading His secretary followed upon the heels of the telegram.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading His secretary followed upon the heels of the telegram.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His secretary followed upon the heels of the telegram.
a United States writer of science fiction and founder of Scientology (1911-1986)
From this reading Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
of great significance or value
From this reading It seemed most important.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed most important.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It seemed most important.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His secretary followed upon the heels of the telegram.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Father received a telegram.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading His secretary followed upon the heels of the telegram.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed most important.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading Father received a telegram.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
male cat
From this reading Father called Tom and Mr. Hubbard to him and they held a conference.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading His secretary followed upon the heels of the telegram.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading (_She speaks the following hurriedly._) After you left this afternoon, something happened.
Chapter 4 of Theft: A Play In Four Acts by Jack London holds 441 sentences, grouped into 89 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 441 sentences of Theft: A Play In Four Acts, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Theft: A Play In Four Acts by Jack London exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 441 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Theft: A Play In Four Acts by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2971 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21936 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21936, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 247 minutes of reading across 595 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Theft: A Play In Four Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Theft: A Play In Four Acts 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 Theft: A Play In Four Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
