Chapter 4 of Waiting for Daylight is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Waiting for Daylight is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it. Perhaps its home was there. And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone. It had gone to Brighton. He did not know why.
Chapter 4 of Waiting for Daylight is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
a city in East Sussex in southern England that is a popular resort; site of the University of Sussex
From this reading “It had gone to Brighton.”
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.”
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading “And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.”
a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks
From this reading “One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.”
hide under a false appearance
From this reading “And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.”
of an obscure nature
From this reading “And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.”
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading “And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.”
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 And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
a city in East Sussex in southern England that is a popular resort; site of the University of Sussex
From this reading It had gone to Brighton.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not know why.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
destroyed or killed
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not know why.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Perhaps its home was there.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He did not know why.
a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
hide under a false appearance
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
of an obscure nature
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps its home was there.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Perhaps its home was there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It had gone to Brighton.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
create by training and teaching
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading One official told me its proper locomotive was at East Grinstead, and that we might not get it.
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
belonging to which person
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading He did not know why.
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet another official whose face was as mysterious as that of the station clock, which was wearing a paper mask, said that the engine of my train had, in fact, gone.
Chapter 4 of Waiting for Daylight by H. M. (Henry Major) Tomlinson holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 436 sentences of Waiting for Daylight, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Waiting for Daylight by H. M. (Henry Major) Tomlinson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Waiting for Daylight by H. M. (Henry Major) Tomlinson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2137 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27246 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27246, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 178 minutes of reading across 428 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Waiting for Daylight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Waiting for Daylight 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 Waiting for Daylight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
