Chapter 4 of Tom, Dick and Harry is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Tom, Dick and Harry is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home. Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand. My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of. "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she. "It's not a gentleman's hat at all.
Chapter 4 of Tom, Dick and Harry is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
give, sell, or transfer to another
From this reading “My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.”
past form of “encounter” — come together
From this reading “I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.”
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading “I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.”
possessive form of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “"It's not a gentleman's hat at all.”
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading “I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.”
plural of “jeer” — showing your contempt by derision
From this reading “I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.”
plural of “protest” — a formal and solemn declaration of objection
From this reading “My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.”
plural of “youth” — a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading “I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.”
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 "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "It's not a gentleman's hat at all.
any thing at all
From this reading Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand.
a seller of shoddy goods
From this reading "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
give, sell, or transfer to another
From this reading My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.
past form of “encounter” — come together
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
possessive form of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading "It's not a gentleman's hat at all.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading "It's not a gentleman's hat at all.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's not a gentleman's hat at all.
plural of “jeer” — showing your contempt by derision
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand.
plural of “protest” — a formal and solemn declaration of objection
From this reading My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
cut with a saw
From this reading My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.
at the time that
From this reading My mother's protests, when she saw me, however, were not so easy to dispose of.
which person or people
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Some people will laugh at anything they do not understand.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why, Tommy, it makes you look like a common cheap-jack," said she.
plural of “youth” — a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading I set down to envy or ignorance the jeers of the village youths who encountered me on my way home.
Chapter 4 of Tom, Dick and Harry by Talbot Baines Reed holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of Tom, Dick and Harry, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tom, Dick and Harry by Talbot Baines Reed exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Tom, Dick and Harry by Talbot Baines Reed on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5920 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20992 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20992, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1184 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom, Dick and Harry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Tom, Dick and Harry 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 Tom, Dick and Harry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
