Chapter 4 of Thirty is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Thirty is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut. I can gambol like a lamb. I am ready again to dance to the world's piping." It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth. "It's now the season of the sere and yellow leaf.
Chapter 4 of Thirty is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/125 · 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 formal public statement
From this reading “It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.”
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading “It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.”
put to death as punishment
From this reading “It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.”
the trade of cutting or preparing or selling timber
From this reading “It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.”
usually large hard-shelled seed
From this reading “OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.”
a thin strip of covered cord used to edge hems
From this reading “I am ready again to dance to the world's piping."”
(used especially of vegetation) having lost all moisture
From this reading “"It's now the season of the sere and yellow leaf.”
possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “I am ready again to dance to the world's piping."”
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.
In this reading “It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.”
In this reading “"It's now the season of the sere and yellow leaf.”
In this reading “I can gambol like a lamb.”
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 OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
later than; following
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
anew
From this reading I am ready again to dance to the world's piping."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am ready again to dance to the world's piping."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
a formal public statement
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can gambol like a lamb.
an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading I am ready again to dance to the world's piping."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
put to death as punishment
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
From this reading I can gambol like a lamb.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
the act of beginning something new
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's now the season of the sere and yellow leaf.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
and nothing more
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
young sheep
From this reading I can gambol like a lamb.
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading "It's now the season of the sere and yellow leaf.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I can gambol like a lamb.
the trade of cutting or preparing or selling timber
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "It's now the season of the sere and yellow leaf.
usually large hard-shelled seed
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum or plants, stored in large earthen jars.
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
a thin strip of covered cord used to edge hems
From this reading I am ready again to dance to the world's piping."
be shown or be found to be
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading I am ready again to dance to the world's piping."
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading "It's now the season of the sere and yellow leaf.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
(used especially of vegetation) having lost all moisture
From this reading "It's now the season of the sere and yellow leaf.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I am ready again to dance to the world's piping."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I am ready again to dance to the world's piping."
a fact that has been verified
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading It was just six weeks to a day after his introduction to her that Good made this announcement, and executed a lumbering step of his own devising, to prove its truth.
possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading I am ready again to dance to the world's piping."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading "It's now the season of the sere and yellow leaf.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading OIL AND WATER I "You see, Miss Wynrod, I'm as sound as a nut.
Chapter 4 of Thirty by Howard Vincent O'Brien holds 627 sentences, grouped into 126 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 627 sentences of Thirty, unabridged, divided into 126 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Thirty by Howard Vincent O'Brien exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 627 sentences, grouped into 126 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 126 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 126 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 Thirty by Howard Vincent O'Brien on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6225 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33117 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33117, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 518 minutes of reading across 1245 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thirty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Thirty 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 Thirty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
