Chapter 4 of Tales of fishes is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Tales of fishes is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It's a German submarine!" he declared. My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big. "Dan, I could tell a foul-hooked fish," I asserted, positively. "This fellow is too alive--too limber. He doesn't sag like a dead weight."
Chapter 4 of Tales of fishes is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
confidently declared to be so
From this reading “"Dan, I could tell a foul-hooked fish," I asserted, positively.”
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.”
promote over another
From this reading “My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.”
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading “My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.”
(used of e.g. personality traits) readily adaptable
From this reading “"This fellow is too alive--too limber.”
extremely
From this reading “"Dan, I could tell a foul-hooked fish," I asserted, positively.”
droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading “He doesn't sag like a dead weight."”
a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes
From this reading “"It's a German submarine!" he declared.”
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 "It's a German submarine!" he declared.
possessing life
From this reading "This fellow is too alive--too limber.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
confidently declared to be so
From this reading "Dan, I could tell a foul-hooked fish," I asserted, positively.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Dan, I could tell a foul-hooked fish," I asserted, positively.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dan, I could tell a foul-hooked fish," I asserted, positively.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading He doesn't sag like a dead weight."
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "It's a German submarine!" he declared.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He doesn't sag like a dead weight."
promote over another
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
a boy or man
From this reading "This fellow is too alive--too limber.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dan, I could tell a foul-hooked fish," I asserted, positively.
a person of German nationality
From this reading "It's a German submarine!" he declared.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It's a German submarine!" he declared.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Dan, I could tell a foul-hooked fish," I asserted, positively.
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This fellow is too alive--too limber.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a German submarine!" he declared.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He doesn't sag like a dead weight."
(used of e.g. personality traits) readily adaptable
From this reading "This fellow is too alive--too limber.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
extremely
From this reading "Dan, I could tell a foul-hooked fish," I asserted, positively.
droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading He doesn't sag like a dead weight."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes
From this reading "It's a German submarine!" he declared.
express in words
From this reading "Dan, I could tell a foul-hooked fish," I asserted, positively.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This fellow is too alive--too limber.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "This fellow is too alive--too limber.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
precisely as stated
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading He doesn't sag like a dead weight."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
in the company of; together with
From this reading My brother's wife and the other ladies with us on board were inclined to favor my side; at least they were sorry for the fish and said he must be very big.
Chapter 4 of Tales of fishes by Zane Grey holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of Tales of fishes, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tales of fishes by Zane Grey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Tales of fishes by Zane Grey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5236 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29346 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29346, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 436 minutes of reading across 1048 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales of fishes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Tales of fishes 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 Tales of fishes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
