Chapter 4 of Red Nails is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Red Nails is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Aye! I swear it! She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad. It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness. She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."
Chapter 4 of Red Nails is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 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 woman who cohabits with an important man
From this reading “It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.”
past form of “journey” — undertake a journey or trip
From this reading “She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.”
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading “She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."”
third-person singular of “possess” — have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill
From this reading “She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."”
inflected form of “rebel” — take part in a rebellion; renounce a former allegiance
From this reading “It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.”
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “I swear it!”
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading “It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.”
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."”
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 “It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.”
In this reading “It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.”
In this reading “She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.”
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 She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aye!
for the reason that
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
a woman who cohabits with an important man
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
wanted intensely
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
inflected form of “flee” — run away quickly
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I swear it!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I swear it!
past form of “journey” — undertake a journey or trip
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."
third-person singular of “possess” — have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill
From this reading She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."
inflected form of “rebel” — take part in a rebellion; renounce a former allegiance
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading I swear it!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
at the time that
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
which person or people
From this reading She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was because the king of Stygia desired her for a concubine that Xotalanc and his brother rebelled and fled into the wilderness.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading She is a witch, who possesses the secret of perpetual youth."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was a full-grown woman when the Tlazitlans journeyed from Lake Zuad.
Chapter 4 of Red Nails by Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of Red Nails, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Red Nails by Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Red Nails by Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2116 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32759 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32759, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 176 minutes of reading across 424 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Red Nails section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Red Nails 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 Red Nails, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
