Chapter 4 of Half Portions is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Half Portions is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Gosh!" he said. "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat. A great fear swept over him and left him weak and sick. The chill grandeur of the studio-building foyer stabbed him. The glittering lift made him dizzy, somehow, this morning.
Chapter 4 of Half Portions is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains
From this reading “"Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.”
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading “The chill grandeur of the studio-building foyer stabbed him.”
the sound of a horse's hoofs hitting on a hard surface
From this reading “"Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.”
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading “The glittering lift made him dizzy, somehow, this morning.”
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading “The chill grandeur of the studio-building foyer stabbed him.”
the quality of being magnificent or splendid or grand
From this reading “The chill grandeur of the studio-building foyer stabbed him.”
inflected form of “stab” — use a knife on
From this reading “The chill grandeur of the studio-building foyer stabbed him.”
a storehouse for goods and merchandise
From this reading “"Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.”
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 A great fear swept over him and left him weak and sick.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading The chill grandeur of the studio-building foyer stabbed him.
the sound of a horse's hoofs hitting on a hard surface
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading The glittering lift made him dizzy, somehow, this morning.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading A great fear swept over him and left him weak and sick.
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading The chill grandeur of the studio-building foyer stabbed him.
having brief brilliant points or flashes of light
From this reading The glittering lift made him dizzy, somehow, this morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Gosh!" he said.
the quality of being magnificent or splendid or grand
From this reading The chill grandeur of the studio-building foyer stabbed him.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A great fear swept over him and left him weak and sick.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Gosh!" he said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A great fear swept over him and left him weak and sick.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading A great fear swept over him and left him weak and sick.
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading The glittering lift made him dizzy, somehow, this morning.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The glittering lift made him dizzy, somehow, this morning.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The glittering lift made him dizzy, somehow, this morning.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
above and across; more than
From this reading A great fear swept over him and left him weak and sick.
(especially of the face) reddened or suffused with or as if with blood from emotion or exertion
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Gosh!" he said.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading A great fear swept over him and left him weak and sick.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading The glittering lift made him dizzy, somehow, this morning.
inflected form of “stab” — use a knife on
From this reading The chill grandeur of the studio-building foyer stabbed him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The chill grandeur of the studio-building foyer stabbed him.
possessing sweep
From this reading A great fear swept over him and left him weak and sick.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The glittering lift made him dizzy, somehow, this morning.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
a storehouse for goods and merchandise
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading A great fear swept over him and left him weak and sick.
which person or people
From this reading "Gosh, I--" He thought, then, of the red-faced farmer who used to come clumping into the cold-storage warehouse in his big boots and his buffalo coat.
Chapter 4 of Half Portions by Edna Ferber holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of Half Portions, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Half Portions by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Half Portions by Edna Ferber on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5692 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14714 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14714, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 474 minutes of reading across 1139 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Half Portions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Half Portions 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 Half Portions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
