Chapter 4 of The Black Tor is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Black Tor is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Good Heavens!" he cried aloud. "Enemy's! What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation! Why, with them it is an hereditary disease. But who knows?
Chapter 4 of The Black Tor is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
deserving of contempt or scorn
From this reading “What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!”
an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
From this reading “Why, with them it is an hereditary disease.”
possessive form of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading “"Enemy's!”
all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading “What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “"Good Heavens!" he cried aloud.”
occurring among members of a family usually by heredity
From this reading “Why, with them it is an hereditary disease.”
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading “What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!”
plural of “worm” — any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading “What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!”
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 What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
later than; following
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
using the voice; not silently
From this reading "Good Heavens!" he cried aloud.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Why, with them it is an hereditary disease.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But who knows?
deserving of contempt or scorn
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Good Heavens!" he cried aloud.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
From this reading Why, with them it is an hereditary disease.
possessive form of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading "Enemy's!
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good Heavens!" he cried aloud.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Good Heavens!" he cried aloud.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading "Good Heavens!" he cried aloud.
occurring among members of a family usually by heredity
From this reading Why, with them it is an hereditary disease.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why, with them it is an hereditary disease.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why, with them it is an hereditary disease.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading But who knows?
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
a male human offspring
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Why, with them it is an hereditary disease.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
which person or people
From this reading But who knows?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, with them it is an hereditary disease.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Why, with them it is an hereditary disease.
plural of “worm” — any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading What contemptible worms we are, to dare to nurse up such a feeling from father to son, generation after generation!
Chapter 4 of The Black Tor by George Manville Fenn holds 420 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 420 sentences of The Black Tor, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Black Tor by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 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 The Black Tor by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5326 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21298 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21298, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 443 minutes of reading across 1066 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Tor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Black Tor 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 Black Tor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
