Chapter 4 of Messiah is here in full — 415 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 Messiah is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I nodded. The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least. “We had dinner together last night.” “I know. Iris told me.
Chapter 4 of Messiah is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 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.
rid of obstructions
From this reading “The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.”
the act of working out the form of something (as by making a sketch or outline or plan)
From this reading “The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.”
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading ““We had dinner together last night.””
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading “The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.”
plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals
From this reading “Iris told me.”
most important element
From this reading “The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “I nodded.”
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading “The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.”
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 ““We had dinner together last night.””
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.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
rid of obstructions
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
the act of working out the form of something (as by making a sketch or outline or plan)
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “We had dinner together last night.”
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “We had dinner together last night.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I nodded.
plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals
From this reading Iris told me.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I know.
immediately past
From this reading “We had dinner together last night.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
most important element
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “We had dinner together last night.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading I nodded.
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading “We had dinner together last night.”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Iris told me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The plot was finally clear to me: the main design at least.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We had dinner together last night.”
Chapter 4 of Messiah by Gore Vidal holds 415 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 415 sentences of Messiah, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Messiah by Gore Vidal exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 Messiah by Gore Vidal on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Messiah section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Messiah 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 Messiah, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
