Chapter 4 of The Bat is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Bat is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Did you, dear? That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that later. Where did you get him?” “That good agency, I can’t remember its name.” Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
Chapter 4 of The Bat is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading ““That good agency, I can’t remember its name.””
possessive form of “dale” — an open river valley (in a hilly area)
true confidential information
From this reading “Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.”
the cognitive processes whereby past experience is remembered
From this reading “Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.”
in a restless manner
From this reading “Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.”
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading “That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that 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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that later.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading “That good agency, I can’t remember its name.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that later.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That good agency, I can’t remember its name.”
possessive form of “dale” — an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
dearly loved
From this reading “Did you, dear?
true confidential information
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Did you, dear?
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Where did you get him?”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “That good agency, I can’t remember its name.”
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Where did you get him?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “That good agency, I can’t remember its name.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that later.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading “That good agency, I can’t remember its name.”
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that later.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “That good agency, I can’t remember its name.”
above and across; more than
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
To recall to mind.
From this reading “That good agency, I can’t remember its name.”
the cognitive processes whereby past experience is remembered
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
in a restless manner
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that later.
express in words
From this reading That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that later.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that later.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that later.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading That’s splendid, though—but I’ll tell you about that later.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Dale’s hand moved restlessly over her eyes, as if remembering details were too great an effort.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where did you get him?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Did you, dear?
Chapter 4 of The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét holds 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 217 sentences of The Bat, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4997 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2019 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2019, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 416 minutes of reading across 1000 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Bat 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 The Bat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
