Chapter 4 of Our Square and the People in It is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Our Square and the People in It is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart! Oh, my heart!” “This,” I thought, “is the end.” I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute. From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.
Chapter 4 of Our Square and the People in It is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading “I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.”
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading “I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!”
space by the side of a bed (especially the bed of a sick or dying person)
From this reading “From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.”
loss of the ability to move a body part
From this reading “I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.”
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading “I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.”
move an implement through
From this reading “From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!”
slender flexible branches or twigs (especially of willow or some canes); used for wickerwork
From this reading “From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.”
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 “From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.”
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 I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
space by the side of a bed (especially the bed of a sick or dying person)
From this reading From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “This,” I thought, “is the end.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “This,” I thought, “is the end.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, my heart!”
loss of the ability to move a body part
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
in a supernatural manner
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
move upward
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
move an implement through
From this reading From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This,” I thought, “is the end.”
in spite of the fact that
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “This,” I thought, “is the end.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
slender flexible branches or twigs (especially of willow or some canes); used for wickerwork
From this reading From the bedside I heard the stir of the wicker chair.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I tried to rise, but a paralysis of the will held me, though my senses seemed preternaturally acute.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I awoke with a start, to hear the Gnome's voice, in a hard-breathed whisper: “My heart!
Chapter 4 of Our Square and the People in It by Samuel Hopkins Adams holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 434 sentences of Our Square and the People in It, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Our Square and the People in It by Samuel Hopkins Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Our Square and the People in It by Samuel Hopkins Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5058 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44328 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44328, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 421 minutes of reading across 1012 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Our Square and the People in It section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Our Square and the People in It 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 Our Square and the People in It, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
