Chapter 4 of Messengers of Evil is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Messengers of Evil is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected. After a silence, shrugging his shoulders, he replied: "I don't know. I can't make myself remember--not anyhow!... And it's a long time since I sold the goods!"
Chapter 4 of Messengers of Evil is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “I can't make myself remember--not anyhow!...”
identifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others
From this reading “The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.”
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading “And it's a long time since I sold the goods!"”
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading “The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.”
not divisible by two
From this reading “The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.”
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading “The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “After a silence, shrugging his shoulders, he replied:”
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading “And it's a long time since I sold the goods!"”
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 After a silence, shrugging his shoulders, he replied:
later than; following
From this reading After a silence, shrugging his shoulders, he replied:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And it's a long time since I sold the goods!"
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading I can't make myself remember--not anyhow!...
identifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others
From this reading The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can't make myself remember--not anyhow!...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know.
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading And it's a long time since I sold the goods!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After a silence, shrugging his shoulders, he replied:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading After a silence, shrugging his shoulders, he replied:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it's a long time since I sold the goods!"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading And it's a long time since I sold the goods!"
engage in
From this reading I can't make myself remember--not anyhow!...
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I can't make myself remember--not anyhow!...
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I can't make myself remember--not anyhow!...
not divisible by two
From this reading The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.
To recall to mind.
From this reading I can't make myself remember--not anyhow!...
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading After a silence, shrugging his shoulders, he replied:
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading After a silence, shrugging his shoulders, he replied:
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading After a silence, shrugging his shoulders, he replied:
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading After a silence, shrugging his shoulders, he replied:
from a time in the past until now
From this reading And it's a long time since I sold the goods!"
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading And it's a long time since I sold the goods!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading And it's a long time since I sold the goods!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.
which person or people
From this reading The individual who answered to this odd appellation reflected.
Chapter 4 of Messengers of Evil by Pierre Souvestre holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 402 sentences of Messengers of Evil, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Messengers of Evil by Pierre Souvestre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Messengers of Evil by Pierre Souvestre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6460 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28333 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28333, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 538 minutes of reading across 1292 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Messengers of Evil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Messengers of Evil 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 Messengers of Evil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
