Chapter 4 of All the Brothers Were Valiant is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of All the Brothers Were Valiant is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mark saw, and was immensely amused. He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister? I'm not going to bite...." Priscilla caught herself, and smiled, and laughed at him. "How do I look at you?
Chapter 4 of All the Brothers Were Valiant is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading “Mark saw, and was immensely amused.”
to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
From this reading “I'm not going to bite...."”
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “Priscilla caught herself, and smiled, and laughed at him.”
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading “Mark saw, and was immensely amused.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “Priscilla caught herself, and smiled, and laughed at him.”
attach a tag or label to
From this reading “Mark saw, and was immensely amused.”
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “Priscilla caught herself, and smiled, and laughed at him.”
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.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading Mark saw, and was immensely amused.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mark saw, and was immensely amused.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
From this reading I'm not going to bite...."
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Priscilla caught herself, and smiled, and laughed at him.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
the act of departing
From this reading I'm not going to bite...."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Priscilla caught herself, and smiled, and laughed at him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Priscilla caught herself, and smiled, and laughed at him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do I look at you?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "How do I look at you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm not going to bite...."
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading Mark saw, and was immensely amused.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Priscilla caught herself, and smiled, and laughed at him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
attach a tag or label to
From this reading Mark saw, and was immensely amused.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I'm not going to bite...."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Priscilla caught herself, and smiled, and laughed at him.
cut with a saw
From this reading Mark saw, and was immensely amused.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Priscilla caught herself, and smiled, and laughed at him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I'm not going to bite...."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mark saw, and was immensely amused.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading He asked her: "Why do you look at me like that, little sister?
Chapter 4 of All the Brothers Were Valiant by Ben Ames Williams holds 476 sentences, grouped into 96 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 476 sentences of All the Brothers Were Valiant, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of All the Brothers Were Valiant by Ben Ames Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 476 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 All the Brothers Were Valiant by Ben Ames Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2392 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25885 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25885, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 199 minutes of reading across 479 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through All the Brothers Were Valiant section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of All the Brothers Were Valiant 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 All the Brothers Were Valiant, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
