Chapter 4 of Tommy and Co. is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Tommy and Co. is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Great Man drew a chair to the table. "You won't miss out anything--will you?" insisted Tommy. "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write. Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished. Then, blotting and refolding the paper, he stood up.
Chapter 4 of Tommy and Co. is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence
From this reading “"I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.”
inflected form of “blot” — dry (ink) with blotting paper
From this reading “Then, blotting and refolding the paper, he stood up.”
an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading “"I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.”
a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)
From this reading “"I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “"I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.”
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading “"You won't miss out anything--will you?" insisted Tommy.”
become slow or slower
From this reading “Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.”
move hurridly
From this reading “Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.”
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 The Great Man drew a chair to the table.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
any thing at all
From this reading "You won't miss out anything--will you?" insisted Tommy.
marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.
inflected form of “blot” — dry (ink) with blotting paper
From this reading Then, blotting and refolding the paper, he stood up.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The Great Man drew a chair to the table.
an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading The Great Man drew a chair to the table.
a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The Great Man drew a chair to the table.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading "You won't miss out anything--will you?" insisted Tommy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The Great Man drew a chair to the table.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "You won't miss out anything--will you?" insisted Tommy.
not any; not one
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "You won't miss out anything--will you?" insisted Tommy.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading Then, blotting and refolding the paper, he stood up.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then, blotting and refolding the paper, he stood up.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
become slow or slower
From this reading Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.
move hurridly
From this reading Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Then, blotting and refolding the paper, he stood up.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The Great Man drew a chair to the table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Great Man drew a chair to the table.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, blotting and refolding the paper, he stood up.
up to a particular time
From this reading Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Great Man drew a chair to the table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You won't miss out anything--will you?" insisted Tommy.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Not till the train began to slacken speed had the Prince finished.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then, blotting and refolding the paper, he stood up.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You won't miss out anything--will you?" insisted Tommy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You won't miss out anything--will you?" insisted Tommy.
produce a literary work
From this reading "I shall endeavour, Miss Jane, to give you no cause for complaint," gravely he assured her, and sat down to write.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You won't miss out anything--will you?" insisted Tommy.
Chapter 4 of Tommy and Co. by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome holds 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 222 sentences of Tommy and Co., unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tommy and Co. by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 and Co. by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4188 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2356 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2356, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 838 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tommy and Co. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Tommy and Co. 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 and Co., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
