Chapter 4 of Tales of Men and Ghosts is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Tales of Men and Ghosts is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“It’s not that. Why do you make it so hard for me?” Ronald broke out with passion. “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.” “Happen?
Chapter 4 of Tales of Men and Ghosts is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
lacking funds
From this reading “Ronald broke out with passion.”
come to pass
From this reading ““You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.””
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “Why do you make it so hard for me?””
apprehended with certainty
From this reading ““You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.””
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading ““You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.””
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading “Ronald broke out with passion.”
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading ““You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.””
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading ““You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.””
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.
lacking funds
From this reading Ronald broke out with passion.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Why do you make it so hard for me?”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Why do you make it so hard for me?”
come to pass
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Why do you make it so hard for me?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why do you make it so hard for me?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s not that.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
engage in
From this reading Why do you make it so hard for me?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why do you make it so hard for me?”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “It’s not that.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Ronald broke out with passion.
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading Ronald broke out with passion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ronald broke out with passion.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Why do you make it so hard for me?”
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “It’s not that.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “You must have known this was sure to happen sooner or later.”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why do you make it so hard for me?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Ronald broke out with passion.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why do you make it so hard for me?”
Chapter 4 of Tales of Men and Ghosts by Edith Wharton holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Tales of Men and Ghosts, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Tales of Men and Ghosts by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Men and Ghosts by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5406 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4514 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4514, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 450 minutes of reading across 1082 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales of Men and Ghosts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Tales of Men and Ghosts 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 Men and Ghosts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
