Chapter 4 of Damaged Goods The great play "Les avariés" is here in full — 557 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Damaged Goods The great play "Les avariés" is here in full — 557 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was all George could do to control his voice. “You--you went to see him?” he stammered. “Yes,” said his mother. “You know him?” “No, no,” he answered.
Chapter 4 of Damaged Goods The great play "Les avariés" is here in full — 557 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/111 · 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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading ““No, no,” he answered.”
power to direct or determine
From this reading “It was all George could do to control his voice.”
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading “It was all George could do to control his voice.”
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading ““Yes,” said his mother.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading ““You--you went to see him?” he stammered.”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “It was all George could do to control his voice.”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading ““You--you went to see him?” he stammered.”
an affirmative
From this reading ““Yes,” said his mother.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It was all George could do to control his voice.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “No, no,” he answered.
power to direct or determine
From this reading It was all George could do to control his voice.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was all George could do to control his voice.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It was all George could do to control his voice.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading It was all George could do to control his voice.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You--you went to see him?” he stammered.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You--you went to see him?” he stammered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was all George could do to control his voice.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was all George could do to control his voice.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You know him?”
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Yes,” said his mother.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, no,” he answered.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes,” said his mother.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You--you went to see him?” he stammered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You--you went to see him?” he stammered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was all George could do to control his voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading It was all George could do to control his voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was all George could do to control his voice.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “You--you went to see him?” he stammered.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” said his mother.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You--you went to see him?” he stammered.
Chapter 4 of Damaged Goods The great play "Les avariés" by Upton Sinclair holds 557 sentences, grouped into 112 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 557 sentences of Damaged Goods The great play "Les avariés", unabridged, divided into 112 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Damaged Goods The great play "Les avariés" by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 557 sentences, grouped into 112 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 112 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 112 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 Damaged Goods The great play "Les avariés" by Upton Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2314 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1157 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1157, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 192 minutes of reading across 463 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Damaged Goods The great play "Les avariés" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Damaged Goods The great play "Les avariés" 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 Damaged Goods The great play "Les avariés", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
