Chapter 4 of Stories by American Authors, Volume 7 is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Stories by American Authors, Volume 7 is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me. He saw that I had overheard all. Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation. "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed. "I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.
Chapter 4 of Stories by American Authors, Volume 7 is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
reveal unintentionally
From this reading “"For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.”
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading “She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.”
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.”
possessive form of “heaven” — any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “"For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.”
United States jazz musician who moved from ragtime to New Orleans jazz (1885-1941)
From this reading “She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.”
inflected form of “overhear” — hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers
From this reading “He saw that I had overheard all.”
believed likely
From this reading “"I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.”
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading “"For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.”
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 “"For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.”
In this reading “Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.”
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.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He saw that I had overheard all.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.
reveal unintentionally
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He saw that I had overheard all.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He saw that I had overheard all.
possessive form of “heaven” — any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He saw that I had overheard all.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
United States jazz musician who moved from ragtime to New Orleans jazz (1885-1941)
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
inflected form of “overhear” — hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers
From this reading He saw that I had overheard all.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading "I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
cut with a saw
From this reading He saw that I had overheard all.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
express in speech
From this reading Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.
believed likely
From this reading "I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He saw that I had overheard all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
in the direction of
From this reading Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading She tottered out of the room, and Morton, turning, confronted me.
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Before I could speak he came toward me with an air of desperation.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "For Heaven's sake don't betray me, Valentine, now that you know my secret," he exclaimed.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I have felt from the first that you suspected--that I was in your power.
Chapter 4 of Stories by American Authors, Volume 7 by Various holds 454 sentences, grouped into 91 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 454 sentences of Stories by American Authors, Volume 7, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Stories by American Authors, Volume 7 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 454 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Stories by American Authors, Volume 7 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2720 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31134 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31134, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 226 minutes of reading across 544 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stories by American Authors, Volume 7 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Stories by American Authors, Volume 7 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 Stories by American Authors, Volume 7, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
