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Fire!!
Fire!!

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Fire!! is here in full — 508 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Fire!!
Context Illustration Reading 1/101 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...
Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...
Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...
Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...
Beauty smiled ...
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Fire!!

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Fire!! is here in full — 508 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/101 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...
Line 2
Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...
Line 3
Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...
Line 4
Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...
Line 5
Beauty smiled ...
/ˈbjuːti smaɪld/

Learner Dictionary

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.

abominable adjective US /əˈbɑːmənəbəl/

unequivocally detestable

From this reading “Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...”

appreciates verb US /əˈpriːʃieɪts/

third-person singular of “appreciate” — recognize with gratitude; be grateful for

From this reading “Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...”

cigarette noun US /ˌsɪɡərˈet/

finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking

From this reading “Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...”

florid adjective US /ˈflɔːrəd/

elaborately or excessively ornamented

From this reading “Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...”

guiding adjective US /ˈɡaɪdɪŋ/

exerting control or influence

From this reading “Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...”

maize noun US /meɪz/

tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times

From this reading “Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...”

opera noun US /ˈɑːprə/

a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes

From this reading “Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...”

overly adverb US /ˈoʊvərli/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading “Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

most abominable adverb + adjective

In this reading “Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...”

opera company noun + noun

a company that produces operas

In this reading “Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...”

white hair noun + noun

In this reading “Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...”

fat woman adjective + noun

In this reading “they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

abominableadjectiveUS /əˈbɑːmənəbəl/

unequivocally detestable

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

Alex

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

appreciatesverbUS /əˈpriːʃieɪts/

third-person singular of “appreciate” — recognize with gratitude; be grateful for

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

BeautynounUS /ˈbjuːti/

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

bejeweled

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

bigadjectiveUS /bɪɡ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

Carl

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...

chairsnounUS /tʃerz/

plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

cigarettenounUS /ˌsɪɡərˈet/

finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking

From this reading Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...

companynounUS /ˈkʌmpəniː/

an institution created to conduct business

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

Dulce

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

EnglishnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/

an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

fatadjectiveUS /fæt/

having an (over)abundance of flesh

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

floridadjectiveUS /ˈflɔːrəd/

elaborately or excessively ornamented

From this reading Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

Forno's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

Guerrero

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

guidingadjectiveUS /ˈɡaɪdɪŋ/

exerting control or influence

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

immenseadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈmens/

unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

ladynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

litadjectiveUS /lɪt/

provided with artificial light

From this reading Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

maizenounUS /meɪz/

tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...

MarianounUS /mərˈiːə/

a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

maybeadverbUS /ˈmeɪbi/

by chance

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

operanounUS /ˈɑːprə/

a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

overlyadverbUS /ˈoʊvərli/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

pointedadjectiveUS /ˈpɔɪntɪd/

having a point

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

smiledverbUS /smaɪld/

past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

From this reading Beauty smiled ...

stoutadjectiveUS /staʊt/

dependable

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

that's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

thru

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

usenounUS /juːs/

the act of using

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Alex pointed to an overly stout and bejeweled lady making her way thru the maize of chairs ... that’s Maria Guerrero ...

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Alex lit a cigarette ... and that florid man with white hair ... that’s Carl ...

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading they were at Forno’s ... every one came to Forno’s once maybe only once ... but they came ... see that big fat woman Beauty ...

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Beauty looked to see a lady guiding almost the whole opera company to an immense table ... really Dulce ... for one who appreciates beauty you do use the most abominable English ...

Chapter 4 of Fire!! by Wallace [Editor] Thurman holds 508 sentences, grouped into 102 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.

What does chapter 4 of Fire!! contain?

Chapter 4 holds 508 sentences of Fire!!, unabridged, divided into 102 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Fire!! by Wallace [Editor] Thurman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 508 sentences, grouped into 102 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Fire!!?

Work through the 102 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 102 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Fire!!

Common questions about reading Fire!! by Wallace [Editor] Thurman on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Fire!!?

Yes. All 1677 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71448 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Fire!! is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #71448, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Fire!! take to read?

About 139 minutes of reading across 336 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Fire!! section by section

How to work through Fire!! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 4 chapters of Fire!! to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Fire!!

Words and structures a reader meets early in Fire!!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Article
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fire!!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Schuyler
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fire!!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Negro
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fire!!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Writer
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fire!!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.