Chapter 4 of Ruth Erskine's Crosses is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Ruth Erskine's Crosses is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BITTER HERBS. THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things. Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism. The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring. The outlook seemed more hopeful.
Chapter 4 of Ruth Erskine's Crosses is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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 state of partial or total darkness
From this reading “THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.”
plural of “herb” — a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
From this reading “BITTER HERBS.”
the qualities of a hero or heroine; exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger (especially in battle)
From this reading “Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.”
having or manifesting hope
From this reading “The outlook seemed more hopeful.”
a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations
From this reading “The outlook seemed more hopeful.”
determined
From this reading “Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.”
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading “The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring.”
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 “THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.”
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 THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading BITTER HERBS.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring.
one or the other of two
From this reading Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
plural of “herb” — a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
From this reading BITTER HERBS.
the qualities of a hero or heroine; exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger (especially in battle)
From this reading Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.
having or manifesting hope
From this reading The outlook seemed more hopeful.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The outlook seemed more hopeful.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations
From this reading The outlook seemed more hopeful.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
on the contrary
From this reading Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.
determined
From this reading Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The outlook seemed more hopeful.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.
the season of growth
From this reading The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not so much that, either; rather, she resolved on heroism.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sun shone, and the air was fresh with the breath of coming spring.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE morning of the night which had closed in gloom, opened to Ruth Erskine with a faint promise of better things.
Chapter 4 of Ruth Erskine's Crosses by Pansy holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 158 sentences of Ruth Erskine's Crosses, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Ruth Erskine's Crosses by Pansy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Ruth Erskine's Crosses by Pansy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4147 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54078 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54078, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 345 minutes of reading across 830 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ruth Erskine's Crosses section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Ruth Erskine's Crosses 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 Ruth Erskine's Crosses, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
