Chapter 1 of Four Weird Tales is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Four Weird Tales is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes. Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed." Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness. Thorpe began to seem unreal. Presently he would be unable to ask more questions.
Chapter 1 of Four Weird Tales is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 44/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 216–220
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.
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading “Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."”
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading “Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."”
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading “Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.”
past form of “reap” — gather, as of natural products
From this reading “Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."”
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading “Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.”
past form of “sow” — place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth
From this reading “Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."”
outstanding United States athlete (1888-1953)
From this reading “Thorpe began to seem unreal.”
lacking in reality or substance or genuineness; not corresponding to acknowledged facts or criteria
From this reading “Thorpe began to seem unreal.”
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.
(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 Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Presently he would be unable to ask more questions.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Presently he would be unable to ask more questions.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Thorpe began to seem unreal.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Presently he would be unable to ask more questions.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
not divisible by two
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
in the near future
From this reading Presently he would be unable to ask more questions.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading Presently he would be unable to ask more questions.
past form of “reap” — gather, as of natural products
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
filled with satisfaction
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Thorpe began to seem unreal.
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
in the near future
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
past form of “sow” — place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
outstanding United States athlete (1888-1953)
From this reading Thorpe began to seem unreal.
up to a particular time
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Thorpe began to seem unreal.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading Presently he would be unable to ask more questions.
lacking in reality or substance or genuineness; not corresponding to acknowledged facts or criteria
From this reading Thorpe began to seem unreal.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jones had an odd feeling that he was slipping away into some other state of consciousness.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Such forces are not soon or easily exhausted, and justice is not satisfied till all have reaped what they sowed."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Presently he would be unable to ask more questions.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes.
Chapter 1 of Four Weird Tales by Algernon Blackwood holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 1 holds 424 sentences of Four Weird Tales, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Four Weird Tales by Algernon Blackwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 1 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 Four Weird Tales by Algernon Blackwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3105 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16726 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16726, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 621 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Four Weird Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Four Weird Tales 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 Four Weird Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
