Chapter 4 of Elmer Gantry is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Elmer Gantry is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I PRESIDENT QUARLES urged him. Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister. What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs! Eddie Fislinger urged him. “Jiminy!
Chapter 4 of Elmer Gantry is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
have an effect upon
From this reading “Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.”
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading “Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.”
a state of high honor
From this reading “What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!”
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.”
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading “I PRESIDENT QUARLES urged him.”
plural of “shrine” — a place of worship hallowed by association with some sacred thing or person
From this reading “What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!”
plural of “spring” — the season of growth
From this reading “What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!”
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading “I PRESIDENT QUARLES urged him.”
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.
In this reading “Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.”
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 Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
have an effect upon
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
(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 What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eddie Fislinger urged him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eddie Fislinger urged him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
a state of high honor
From this reading What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I PRESIDENT QUARLES urged him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I PRESIDENT QUARLES urged him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Jiminy!
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
by chance
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading I PRESIDENT QUARLES urged him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I PRESIDENT QUARLES urged him.
plural of “shrine” — a place of worship hallowed by association with some sacred thing or person
From this reading What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
plural of “spring” — the season of growth
From this reading What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading I PRESIDENT QUARLES urged him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What glory for Old Terwillinger and all the shrines of Gritzmacher Springs!
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Elmer would, perhaps, affect the whole world if he became a minister.
Chapter 4 of Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis holds 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 259 sentences of Elmer Gantry, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9683 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72609 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72609, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1937 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Elmer Gantry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Elmer Gantry 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 Elmer Gantry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
