Chapter 4 of Autumn is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Autumn is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Don't you?" He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek. "Look at Elsie," she murmured. "Did you ever?" But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.
Chapter 4 of Autumn is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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 former copper coin of Pakistan and India
From this reading “But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.”
in an awkward manner
From this reading “He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.”
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading “He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.”
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading “He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.”
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading “He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “"Look at Elsie," she murmured.”
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.”
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading “But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.”
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.
a former copper coin of Pakistan and India
From this reading But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
in an awkward manner
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you ever?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't you?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Look at Elsie," she murmured.
at any time
From this reading "Did you ever?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Look at Elsie," she murmured.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "Look at Elsie," she murmured.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.
up to a particular time
From this reading He looked at her in silence; awkwardly, then, she drew him down, until her lips brushed his cheek.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But Thomas would not look at Elsie; not until Anna had told him her wish.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Don't you?"
Chapter 4 of Autumn by Robert Nathan holds 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 445 sentences of Autumn, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Autumn by Robert Nathan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Autumn by Robert Nathan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2230 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18079 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18079, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 185 minutes of reading across 446 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Autumn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Autumn 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 Autumn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
