Chapter 4 of Famous stories from foreign countries is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Famous stories from foreign countries is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was midnight. Oppressive silence reigned in the prison. Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman. The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them. They looked like great eyes of the dead.
Chapter 4 of Famous stories from foreign countries is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
plural of “cell” — any small compartment
From this reading “The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.”
plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something
From this reading “The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “It was midnight.”
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading “Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.”
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
From this reading “Oppressive silence reigned in the prison.”
past form of “reign” — have sovereign power
From this reading “Oppressive silence reigned in the prison.”
put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading “Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.”
a guard who keeps watch
From this reading “Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.”
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 “Oppressive silence reigned in the prison.”
In this reading “The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.”
In this reading “Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.”
In this reading “Oppressive silence reigned in the prison.”
In this reading “The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.
plural of “cell” — any small compartment
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading They looked like great eyes of the dead.
divisible by two
From this reading Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.
opinion or judgment
From this reading They looked like great eyes of the dead.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading They looked like great eyes of the dead.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.
plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Oppressive silence reigned in the prison.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was midnight.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading They looked like great eyes of the dead.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading It was midnight.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
From this reading Oppressive silence reigned in the prison.
a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading Oppressive silence reigned in the prison.
past form of “reign” — have sovereign power
From this reading Oppressive silence reigned in the prison.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Oppressive silence reigned in the prison.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Oppressive silence reigned in the prison.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They looked like great eyes of the dead.
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.
precisely as stated
From this reading The little round holes in the tower of cells looked very black against the space about them.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was midnight.
a guard who keeps watch
From this reading Occasionally one caught the sound of the heavy, even tread of the watchman.
Chapter 4 of Famous stories from foreign countries by Edna Worthley [Translator] Underwood holds 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 113 sentences of Famous stories from foreign countries, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Famous stories from foreign countries by Edna Worthley [Translator] Underwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 Famous stories from foreign countries by Edna Worthley [Translator] Underwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2413 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75466 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75466, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 201 minutes of reading across 483 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Famous stories from foreign countries section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Famous stories from foreign countries 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 Famous stories from foreign countries, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
