Chapter 4 of Stepping Heavenward is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Stepping Heavenward is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IV Nov. 2. I really think I am sick and going to die. Last night I raised a little blood. I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
Chapter 4 of Stepping Heavenward is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading “Last night I raised a little blood.”
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.”
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “I really think I am sick and going to die.”
psychological suffering
From this reading “I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.”
plural of “lung” — either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading “I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.”
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading “IV Nov.”
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading “Last night I raised a little blood.”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “I really think I am sick and going to die.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 2.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Last night I raised a little blood.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I really think I am sick and going to die.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I really think I am sick and going to die.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading Last night I raised a little blood.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading I really think I am sick and going to die.
psychological suffering
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
the act of departing
From this reading I really think I am sick and going to die.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I really think I am sick and going to die.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading IV Nov.
immediately past
From this reading Last night I raised a little blood.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Last night I raised a little blood.
plural of “lung” — either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Last night I raised a little blood.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading IV Nov.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Last night I raised a little blood.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading I really think I am sick and going to die.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading I really think I am sick and going to die.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
express in words
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I really think I am sick and going to die.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I really think I am sick and going to die.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I dare not tell mother, it would distress her so, but I am sure it came from my lungs.
Chapter 4 of Stepping Heavenward by E. (Elizabeth) Prentiss holds 362 sentences, grouped into 73 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 362 sentences of Stepping Heavenward, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Stepping Heavenward by E. (Elizabeth) Prentiss exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 362 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 Stepping Heavenward by E. (Elizabeth) Prentiss on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5701 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2515 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2515, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 475 minutes of reading across 1141 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stepping Heavenward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Stepping Heavenward 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 Stepping Heavenward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
