Chapter 4 of Through the Postern Gate is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Through the Postern Gate is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was so very difficult. It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill. And the Boy made no attempt to help her. He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation. He looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes.
Chapter 4 of Through the Postern Gate is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading “He looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “It was so very difficult.”
something intended to communicate a particular impression
From this reading “He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.”
represented as greater than is true or reasonable
From this reading “He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.”
acceptance of despair
From this reading “He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.”
uttered with a trill
From this reading “It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.”
ready to fall asleep
From this reading “He looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes.”
having a sharp inclination
From this reading “It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.”
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 like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.”
In this reading “It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “He looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes.”
In this reading “He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.”
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 It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading He looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the Boy made no attempt to help her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading And the Boy made no attempt to help her.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.
a youthful male person
From this reading And the Boy made no attempt to help her.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It was so very difficult.
something intended to communicate a particular impression
From this reading He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.
represented as greater than is true or reasonable
From this reading He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading And the Boy made no attempt to help her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And the Boy made no attempt to help her.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was so very difficult.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading And the Boy made no attempt to help her.
not any; not one
From this reading And the Boy made no attempt to help her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.
acceptance of despair
From this reading He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.
uttered with a trill
From this reading It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.
ready to fall asleep
From this reading He looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was so very difficult.
having a sharp inclination
From this reading It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And the Boy made no attempt to help her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And the Boy made no attempt to help her.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was like rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill.
precisely as stated
From this reading It was so very difficult.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was so very difficult.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He lay back with an exaggerated display of resignation.
Chapter 4 of Through the Postern Gate by Florence L. (Florence Louisa) Barclay holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of Through the Postern Gate, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Through the Postern Gate by Florence L. (Florence Louisa) Barclay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 the Postern Gate by Florence L. (Florence Louisa) Barclay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2820 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33309 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33309, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 235 minutes of reading across 564 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Through the Postern Gate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Through the Postern Gate 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 the Postern Gate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
