Chapter 4 of Plays is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Plays is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
(CLAIRE _goes to the door, stops before it. She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass. Then she lets him in._) TOM: And now I am in. For a time it seemed I was not to be in. But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
Chapter 4 of Plays is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading “She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass.”
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
causing awareness of your shortcomings
From this reading “But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.”
conformity or harmony
From this reading “But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.”
plural of “let” — a brutal terrorist group active in Kashmir; fights against India with the goal of restoring Islamic rule of India
From this reading “Then she lets him in._) TOM: And now I am in.”
a gambling card game in which chips are placed on the ace and king and queen and jack of separate suits (taken from a separate deck)
From this reading “(CLAIRE _goes to the door, stops before it.”
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading “But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.”
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading “But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.”
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 For a time it seemed I was not to be in.
later than; following
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Then she lets him in._) TOM: And now I am in.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading For a time it seemed I was not to be in.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading (CLAIRE _goes to the door, stops before it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (CLAIRE _goes to the door, stops before it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading (CLAIRE _goes to the door, stops before it.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a time it seemed I was not to be in.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading (CLAIRE _goes to the door, stops before it.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then she lets him in._) TOM: And now I am in.
causing awareness of your shortcomings
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Then she lets him in._) TOM: And now I am in.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then she lets him in._) TOM: And now I am in.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading (CLAIRE _goes to the door, stops before it.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
conformity or harmony
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
plural of “let” — a brutal terrorist group active in Kashmir; fights against India with the goal of restoring Islamic rule of India
From this reading Then she lets him in._) TOM: And now I am in.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For a time it seemed I was not to be in.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Then she lets him in._) TOM: And now I am in.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading For a time it seemed I was not to be in.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass.
a gambling card game in which chips are placed on the ace and king and queen and jack of separate suits (taken from a separate deck)
From this reading (CLAIRE _goes to the door, stops before it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading (CLAIRE _goes to the door, stops before it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she lets him in._) TOM: And now I am in.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For a time it seemed I was not to be in.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading (CLAIRE _goes to the door, stops before it.
male cat
From this reading She and_ TOM _look at each other through the glass.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a time it seemed I was not to be in.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But after I got the idea that you were keeping me out there to see if I could get the idea--it would be too humiliating for a wall of glass to keep one from understanding.
Chapter 4 of Plays by Susan Glaspell holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of Plays, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Plays by Susan Glaspell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Plays by Susan Glaspell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 456 minutes of reading across 1096 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Plays 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 Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
