Chapter 4 of Gladiator is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Gladiator is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For days the creation was his delight. After school he sped to it. Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks. When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably. Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
Chapter 4 of Gladiator is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
projectiles to be fired from a gun
From this reading “Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.”
plural of “catapult” — a plaything consisting of a Y-shaped stick with elastic between the arms; used to propel small stones
From this reading “Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.”
to a tolerably worthy extent
From this reading “When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.”
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.”
past form of “experiment” — to conduct a test or investigation
From this reading “Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.”
French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)
From this reading “Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.”
throw forcefully
From this reading “Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.”
inflected form of “withstand” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading “When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.”
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 “Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks.”
In this reading “Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading After school he sped to it.
projectiles to be fired from a gun
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
large but transportable armament
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
completely unclothed
From this reading Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
plural of “catapult” — a plaything consisting of a Y-shaped stick with elastic between the arms; used to propel small stones
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
the human act of creating
From this reading For days the creation was his delight.
to a tolerably worthy extent
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading For days the creation was his delight.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading For days the creation was his delight.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
past form of “experiment” — to conduct a test or investigation
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
start firing a weapon
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For days the creation was his delight.
set up or found
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After school he sped to it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For days the creation was his delight.
French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
throw forcefully
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading After school he sped to it.
not any; not one
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks.
an educational institution
From this reading After school he sped to it.
inflected form of “speed” — move hurridly
From this reading After school he sped to it.
lacking natural ease
From this reading Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks.
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For days the creation was his delight.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After school he sped to it.
up to a particular time
From this reading Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading Then Hugo experimented with catapults, but he found no engine that could hurl the rocks he used for ammunition as far as his arms.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For days the creation was his delight.
at the time that
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Until dark he strained and struggled with bare rocks.
inflected form of “withstand” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading When it was finished, it was an edifice that would have withstood artillery fire creditably.
Chapter 4 of Gladiator by Philip Wylie holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of Gladiator, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Gladiator by Philip Wylie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Gladiator by Philip Wylie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7771 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42914 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42914, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1555 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Gladiator section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Gladiator 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 Gladiator, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
