Chapter 4 of Pagan Passions is here in full — 399 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 Pagan Passions is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch. Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience. "Ah," the priest said, twinkling at him. "So there you are, eh? Over there?
Chapter 4 of Pagan Passions is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 showing a feeling of mixed reverence and respect and wonder and dread
From this reading “"He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “"He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.”
(Greek mythology) messenger and herald of the gods; god of commerce and cunning and invention and theft; identified with Roman Mercury
From this reading “Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.”
-ing form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading “"He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.”
a woman priest
From this reading “"He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.”
plural of “priest” — a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading “Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.”
an optical instrument for aiding the eye in aiming, as on a firearm or surveying instrument
From this reading “Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.”
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading “"Ah," the priest said, twinkling at him.”
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 Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah," the priest said, twinkling at him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "So there you are, eh?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Ah," the priest said, twinkling at him.
having or showing a feeling of mixed reverence and respect and wonder and dread
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So there you are, eh?
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
(Greek mythology) messenger and herald of the gods; god of commerce and cunning and invention and theft; identified with Roman Mercury
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Ah," the priest said, twinkling at him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
-ing form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
above and across; more than
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
a woman priest
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
plural of “priest” — a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
an optical instrument for aiding the eye in aiming, as on a firearm or surveying instrument
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So there you are, eh?
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "So there you are, eh?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "He's over here," the High Priestess said, motioning to Forrester sitting awestruck on the couch.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading "Ah," the priest said, twinkling at him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Priests of Hermes were common enough sights--but a priest like this was something new and strange in his experience.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "So there you are, eh?
Chapter 4 of Pagan Passions by Randall Garrett holds 399 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 399 sentences of Pagan Passions, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Pagan Passions by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 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 Pagan Passions by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4012 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22767 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22767, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 334 minutes of reading across 803 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pagan Passions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Pagan Passions 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 Pagan Passions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
