Chapter 4 of Spiritual Tales is here in full — 446 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Spiritual Tales is here in full — 446 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks. And give us peace.” Peace there was in the sorrowful old eyes of the mother. The two ate in silence. The big clock that was by the bed _tick-tacked, tick-tacked_.
Chapter 4 of Spiritual Tales is here in full — 446 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading “The two ate in silence.”
the formal act of approving
From this reading ““O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.”
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading ““O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.”
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “The big clock that was by the bed _tick-tacked, tick-tacked_.”
a Scottish church
From this reading ““O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.”
experiencing or marked by or expressing sorrow especially that associated with irreparable loss
From this reading “Peace there was in the sorrowful old eyes of the mother.”
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading ““O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.”
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading ““O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.”
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 ““O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.”
In this reading “The big clock that was by the bed _tick-tacked, tick-tacked_.”
In this reading “The two ate in silence.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading The two ate in silence.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading The big clock that was by the bed _tick-tacked, tick-tacked_.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The big clock that was by the bed _tick-tacked, tick-tacked_.
the formal act of approving
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The big clock that was by the bed _tick-tacked, tick-tacked_.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading The big clock that was by the bed _tick-tacked, tick-tacked_.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Peace there was in the sorrowful old eyes of the mother.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading And give us peace.”
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
the act of giving
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
a Scottish church
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Peace there was in the sorrowful old eyes of the mother.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Peace there was in the sorrowful old eyes of the mother.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Peace there was in the sorrowful old eyes of the mother.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading And give us peace.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The two ate in silence.
experiencing or marked by or expressing sorrow especially that associated with irreparable loss
From this reading Peace there was in the sorrowful old eyes of the mother.
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The big clock that was by the bed _tick-tacked, tick-tacked_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Peace there was in the sorrowful old eyes of the mother.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The big clock that was by the bed _tick-tacked, tick-tacked_.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two ate in silence.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Peace there was in the sorrowful old eyes of the mother.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
at the time that
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading “O God,” he said, in the low voice he had in the kirk when the Bread and Wine were given—“O God, be giving us now thy blessing, and have the thanks.
Chapter 4 of Spiritual Tales by William Sharp holds 446 sentences, grouped into 90 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 446 sentences of Spiritual Tales, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Spiritual Tales by William Sharp exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 446 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Spiritual Tales by William Sharp on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1790 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55865 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55865, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 149 minutes of reading across 358 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Spiritual Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Spiritual Tales 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 Spiritual Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
