Chapter 4 of Tommy is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Tommy is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock. He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door. But it was not until twelve o'clock that Polly made her appearance. "Anything the matter, Tom?" she asked. "Ay, I have joined the Army."
Chapter 4 of Tommy is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
being one more than ten
From this reading “Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.”
having much knowledge or education
From this reading “Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.”
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading “"Ay, I have joined the Army."”
according to the clock
From this reading “Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.”
any of numerous plants of the family Compositae and especially of the genera Carduus and Cirsium and Onopordum having prickly-edged leaves
From this reading “Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.”
something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading “Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “But it was not until twelve o'clock that Polly made her appearance.”
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
anew
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
any thing at all
From this reading "Anything the matter, Tom?" she asked.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading But it was not until twelve o'clock that Polly made her appearance.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading "Ay, I have joined the Army."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Anything the matter, Tom?" she asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ay, I have joined the Army."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
being one more than ten
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Ay, I have joined the Army."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But it was not until twelve o'clock that Polly made her appearance.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Ay, I have joined the Army."
having much knowledge or education
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was not until twelve o'clock that Polly made her appearance.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading "Ay, I have joined the Army."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Anything the matter, Tom?" she asked.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
according to the clock
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Anything the matter, Tom?" she asked.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
any of numerous plants of the family Compositae and especially of the genera Carduus and Cirsium and Onopordum having prickly-edged leaves
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
male cat
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading But it was not until twelve o'clock that Polly made her appearance.
up to a particular time
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading He therefore wandered about the town until that time, and again appeared at the public-house door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Tom made his way to the Thorn and Thistle, but was informed that Polly would not be home until eleven o'clock.
Chapter 4 of Tommy by Joseph Hocking holds 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 376 sentences of Tommy, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tommy by Joseph Hocking exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 Tommy by Joseph Hocking on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2400 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24986 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24986, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 200 minutes of reading across 480 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tommy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Tommy 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 Tommy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
