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Through the Sikh War
Through the Sikh War

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Through the Sikh War is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Through the Sikh War
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"We cannot pay five hundred cattle."
"Oh, yes, you can!
I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.
I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.
Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Through the Sikh War

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Through the Sikh War is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"We cannot pay five hundred cattle."
Line 2
"Oh, yes, you can!
/oʊ jes juː kæn/
Line 3
I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.
Line 4
I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.
/aɪ wɪl nɑːt əˈbeɪt wʌn frʌm maɪ dɪˈmænd bʌt aɪ wɪl kənˈsent tuː teɪk ðə ˈvæljuː ʌv ˈeni dɪˈfɪʃənsi ɪn ɡoʊld ənd ˈsɪlvər ˈɔːrnəmənts ˈteɪkən æt ðer weɪt ɪn ˈmetəl/
Line 5
Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."
/ðoʊz ɑːr maɪ fɜːrst kənˈdɪʃənz ənd maɪ læst ənd juː kæn ˈkæri ðem bæk tuː jɔːr tʃiːf/

Learner Dictionary

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.

abate verb US /əˈbeɪt/

make less active or intense

From this reading “I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.”

cattle noun US /ˈkætəl/

domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age

From this reading “"We cannot pay five hundred cattle."”

conditions noun US /kənˈdɪʃənz/

the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process

From this reading “Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."”

consent noun US /kənˈsent/

permission to do something

From this reading “I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.”

deficiency noun US /dɪˈfɪʃənsi/

the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable

From this reading “I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.”

demand noun US /dɪˈmænd/

an urgent or peremptory request

From this reading “I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.”

metal noun US /ˈmetəl/

any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.

From this reading “I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.”

ornaments noun US /ˈɔːrnəmənts/

plural of “ornament” — something used to beautify

From this reading “I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

five hundred noun + noun

the cardinal number that is the product of one hundred and five

In this reading “"We cannot pay five hundred cattle."”

pay five verb + noun

In this reading “"We cannot pay five hundred cattle."”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

abateverbUS /əˈbeɪt/

make less active or intense

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

altogetheradverbUS /ˌɔːltəˈɡeðər/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "Oh, yes, you can!

cannot

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "We cannot pay five hundred cattle."

carryverbUS /ˈkæri/

move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."

cattlenounUS /ˈkætəl/

domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age

From this reading "We cannot pay five hundred cattle."

chiefnounUS /tʃiːf/

a person who is in charge

From this reading Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."

conditionsnounUS /kənˈdɪʃənz/

the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process

From this reading Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."

consentnounUS /kənˈsent/

permission to do something

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

deficiencynounUS /dɪˈfɪʃənsi/

the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

demandnounUS /dɪˈmænd/

an urgent or peremptory request

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."

fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading "We cannot pay five hundred cattle."

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

goldnounUS /ɡoʊld/

coins made of gold

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/

ten 10s

From this reading "We cannot pay five hundred cattle."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

metalnounUS /ˈmetəl/

any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading "Oh, yes, you can!

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

ornamentsnounUS /ˈɔːrnəmənts/

plural of “ornament” — something used to beautify

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

payverbUS /peɪ/

give money, usually in exchange for goods or services

From this reading "We cannot pay five hundred cattle."

prettyadjectiveUS /ˈprɪti/

pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

silvernounUS /ˈsɪlvər/

a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."

ThosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

valuenounUS /ˈvæljuː/

a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "We cannot pay five hundred cattle."

weightnounUS /weɪt/

the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity

From this reading I will not abate one from my demand, but I will consent to take the value of any deficiency in gold and silver ornaments, taken at their weight in metal.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading I know pretty well how many you have, and five hundred will not leave you altogether without some.

yesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Oh, yes, you can!

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Oh, yes, you can!

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Those are my first conditions and my last, and you can carry them back to your chief."

Chapter 4 of Through the Sikh War by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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.

What does chapter 4 of Through the Sikh War contain?

Chapter 4 holds 416 sentences of Through the Sikh War, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Through the Sikh War by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Through the Sikh War?

Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 84 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Through the Sikh War

Common questions about reading Through the Sikh War by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Through the Sikh War?

Yes. All 5463 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53717 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Through the Sikh War is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53717, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Through the Sikh War take to read?

About 455 minutes of reading across 1093 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Through the Sikh War section by section

How to work through Through the Sikh War section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of Through the Sikh War to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Through the Sikh War

Words and structures a reader meets early in Through the Sikh War, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Conquest
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Through the Sikh War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Punjaub
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Through the Sikh War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Through the Sikh War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Beric
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Through the Sikh War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.