Chapter IV of Derelicts, “Dea Ex Machina,” is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter IV of Derelicts, “Dea Ex Machina,” is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There’s nothing like leather,” cried Yvonne, gaily. “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made. As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession. You did n’t know I was so philosophical, did you?” “But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.
Chapter IV of Derelicts, “Dea Ex Machina,” is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
in a gay manner
From this reading “There’s nothing like leather,” cried Yvonne, gaily.”
befitting a man of good breeding
From this reading ““If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.”
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading ““But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.”
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading “There’s nothing like leather,” cried Yvonne, gaily.”
someone who makes and sells hats
From this reading ““If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.”
of or relating to philosophy or philosophers
From this reading “You did n’t know I was so philosophical, did you?””
the body of people in a learned occupation
From this reading “As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.”
a person who sings
From this reading “As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.”
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 “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading There’s nothing like leather,” cried Yvonne, gaily.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading You did n’t know I was so philosophical, did you?”
in a gay manner
From this reading There’s nothing like leather,” cried Yvonne, gaily.
befitting a man of good breeding
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading “But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You did n’t know I was so philosophical, did you?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading There’s nothing like leather,” cried Yvonne, gaily.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading There’s nothing like leather,” cried Yvonne, gaily.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading “But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
someone who makes and sells hats
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You did n’t know I was so philosophical, did you?”
a brief written record
From this reading “But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There’s nothing like leather,” cried Yvonne, gaily.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.
and nothing more
From this reading As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.
of or relating to philosophy or philosophers
From this reading You did n’t know I was so philosophical, did you?”
the body of people in a learned occupation
From this reading As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.
an employee of a retail store who supervises sales personnel and helps with customer problems
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
deliver by singing
From this reading “But I can’t sing a note now, Madame Latour,” said Joyce.
a person who sings
From this reading As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading You did n’t know I was so philosophical, did you?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There’s nothing like leather,” cried Yvonne, gaily.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading As I am a singer, I can only think of the profession.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You did n’t know I was so philosophical, did you?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If I had been a milliner, I should have thought what a gentlemanly shopwalker you would have made.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There’s nothing like leather,” cried Yvonne, gaily.
Chapter 4 of Derelicts by William John Locke holds 267 sentences, grouped into 54 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 267 sentences of Derelicts, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Derelicts by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 267 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Derelicts by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5902 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55927 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55927, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 491 minutes of reading across 1181 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Derelicts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Derelicts 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 Derelicts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
