Chapter 4 of Gargoyles is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Gargoyles is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, my dear child, and how are you today? Serious as ever, I see. I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening. Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it." He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
Chapter 4 of Gargoyles is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
light teasing repartee
From this reading “He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.”
a chorus that sings as part of a religious ceremony
From this reading “I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.”
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading “Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."”
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading “I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.”
inflected form of “pat” — pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading “He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.”
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading “I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.”
the present time or age
From this reading “"Well, my dear child, and how are you today?”
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.
a young female
In this reading “Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."”
a youthful female person
In this reading “I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.”
In this reading “"Well, my dear child, and how are you today?”
In this reading “He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.”
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 He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Well, my dear child, and how are you today?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Well, my dear child, and how are you today?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Serious as ever, I see.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
light teasing repartee
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
the two together, not just one
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
a young person of either sex
From this reading "Well, my dear child, and how are you today?
a chorus that sings as part of a religious ceremony
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
dearly loved
From this reading "Well, my dear child, and how are you today?
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
at any time
From this reading Serious as ever, I see.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
a young female
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, my dear child, and how are you today?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Serious as ever, I see.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
playful like a lively kitten
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Well, my dear child, and how are you today?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
inflected form of “pat” — pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Serious as ever, I see.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Serious as ever, I see.
in the near future
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
the present time or age
From this reading "Well, my dear child, and how are you today?
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading I understand that you and my little girl had quite an interesting time at the choir practice Saturday evening.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, my dear child, and how are you today?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
in the company of; together with
From this reading He talked with a kittenish banter in his voice as if he were patting a child of five on the head.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, my dear child, and how are you today?
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Dear me, you will both soon be grown up and young ladies before I'm aware of it."
Chapter 4 of Gargoyles by Ben Hecht holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Gargoyles, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Gargoyles by Ben Hecht exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Gargoyles by Ben Hecht on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8277 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38489 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38489, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1656 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Gargoyles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Gargoyles 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 Gargoyles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
