Chapter 4 of El Diablo is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of El Diablo is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WORK OF THEIR FATHERS "Drop it, Mascola." The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives. Shuffling closer together they looked to their leader for guidance. Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away. For an instant he hesitated.
Chapter 4 of El Diablo is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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 “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading “Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.”
plural of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “THE WORK OF THEIR FATHERS "Drop it, Mascola."”
the placement of the fingers for playing different notes (or sequences of notes) on a musical instrument
From this reading “The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.”
something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action
From this reading “Shuffling closer together they looked to their leader for guidance.”
plural of “knife” — edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading “The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.”
plural of “laborer” — someone who works with their hands; someone engaged in manual labor
From this reading “The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.”
walking with a slow dragging motion without lifting your feet
From this reading “Shuffling closer together they looked to their leader for guidance.”
a tax levied on the difference between a commodity's price before taxes and its cost of production
From this reading “Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.”
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 Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For an instant he hesitated.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading Shuffling closer together they looked to their leader for guidance.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
let fall to the ground
From this reading THE WORK OF THEIR FATHERS "Drop it, Mascola."
opinion or judgment
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
plural of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading THE WORK OF THEIR FATHERS "Drop it, Mascola."
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
the placement of the fingers for playing different notes (or sequences of notes) on a musical instrument
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Shuffling closer together they looked to their leader for guidance.
something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action
From this reading Shuffling closer together they looked to their leader for guidance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For an instant he hesitated.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading For an instant he hesitated.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For an instant he hesitated.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE WORK OF THEIR FATHERS "Drop it, Mascola."
plural of “knife” — edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
plural of “laborer” — someone who works with their hands; someone engaged in manual labor
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading Shuffling closer together they looked to their leader for guidance.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Shuffling closer together they looked to their leader for guidance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WORK OF THEIR FATHERS "Drop it, Mascola."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE WORK OF THEIR FATHERS "Drop it, Mascola."
and nothing more
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
walking with a slow dragging motion without lifting your feet
From this reading Shuffling closer together they looked to their leader for guidance.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WORK OF THEIR FATHERS "Drop it, Mascola."
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading THE WORK OF THEIR FATHERS "Drop it, Mascola."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The sharp command drew the eyes of the laborers to the door and they stopped fingering their knives.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Shuffling closer together they looked to their leader for guidance.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
a tax levied on the difference between a commodity's price before taxes and its cost of production
From this reading Mascola's eyes darted about the floor, coming to rest upon a big vat only a few feet away.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading THE WORK OF THEIR FATHERS "Drop it, Mascola."
Chapter 4 of El Diablo by Brayton Norton holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 386 sentences of El Diablo, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of El Diablo by Brayton Norton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 El Diablo by Brayton Norton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7351 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28022 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28022, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1471 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through El Diablo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of El Diablo 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 El Diablo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
