Chapter 4 of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"My dear child!" exclaimed her lover. "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course. Like this, then." And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech. We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.
Chapter 4 of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 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.
any of several large deciduous trees with rounded spreading crowns and smooth grey bark and small sweet edible triangular nuts enclosed in burs; north temperate regions
From this reading “And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.”
hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
From this reading “"No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.”
United States film maker (1896-1973)
From this reading “"No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.”
parallel to or in the plane of the horizon or a base line
From this reading “And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.”
plural of “layer” — single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance
From this reading “And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.”
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading “"My dear child!" exclaimed her lover.”
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading “And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.”
past form of “twitch” — make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion
From this reading “And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.”
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.
move outward
In this reading “And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.”
In this reading “We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.”
In this reading “"My dear child!" exclaimed her lover.”
temporarily
In this reading “And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.”
as might be expected
In this reading “"No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.”
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 "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.
any of several large deciduous trees with rounded spreading crowns and smooth grey bark and small sweet edible triangular nuts enclosed in burs; north temperate regions
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
From this reading "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.
a young person of either sex
From this reading "My dear child!" exclaimed her lover.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
dearly loved
From this reading "My dear child!" exclaimed her lover.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "My dear child!" exclaimed her lover.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
United States film maker (1896-1973)
From this reading "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "My dear child!" exclaimed her lover.
parallel to or in the plane of the horizon or a base line
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
plural of “layer” — single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like this, then."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading "My dear child!" exclaimed her lover.
a particular point in time
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My dear child!" exclaimed her lover.
not any; not one
From this reading "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
not one, and not any
From this reading We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "No: that is a silver birch," said Ford, "Oh, of course.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Like this, then."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Like this, then."
past form of “twitch” — make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And she twitched up her skirts so that for a moment they spread out in great horizontal layers, like the layers of a beech.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We glanced at the house, but none of the servants were looking.
Chapter 4 of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2486 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34089 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34089, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 207 minutes of reading across 498 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories 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 Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
