Chapter 4 of Through Russia is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Through Russia is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him. Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up. Also, every man must avoid cracks in the ice. Yes, and is there a rope handy? Here, Narodetz!
Chapter 4 of Through Russia is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.”
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading “Also, every man must avoid cracks in the ice.”
plural of “crack” — a long narrow opening
From this reading “Also, every man must avoid cracks in the ice.”
command against
From this reading “Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.”
easy to reach
From this reading “Yes, and is there a rope handy?”
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading “Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.”
cover with planks
From this reading “"Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.”
a strong line
From this reading “Yes, and is there a rope handy?”
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 "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
in addition
From this reading Also, every man must avoid cracks in the ice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
any person at all
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading Also, every man must avoid cracks in the ice.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
plural of “crack” — a long narrow opening
From this reading Also, every man must avoid cracks in the ice.
one or the other of two
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
command against
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
easy to reach
From this reading Yes, and is there a rope handy?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here, Narodetz!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Yes, and is there a rope handy?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Also, every man must avoid cracks in the ice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here, Narodetz!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
cover with planks
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
a strong line
From this reading Yes, and is there a rope handy?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
carry out
From this reading "Let every man take a plank," he said, "and hold it in front of him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Yes, and is there a rope handy?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Then, should anyone fall in (which God forbid!), the plank-ends will catch upon the ice to either side of him, and hold him up.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, and is there a rope handy?
Chapter 4 of Through Russia by Maksim Gorky holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 176 sentences of Through Russia, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Through Russia by Maksim Gorky exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Through Russia by Maksim Gorky on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5371 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2288 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2288, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 447 minutes of reading across 1075 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Through Russia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Through Russia 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 Through Russia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
