Chapter 4 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his." "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips? Do you know that this is a serious matter?" "How can I know that? I have never been dead in all my life.
Chapter 4 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
-ing form of “deprive” — take away possessions from someone
From this reading “"I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."”
only a very short time before
From this reading “"I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."”
plural of “joke” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “"Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?”
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading “"Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?”
for more time
From this reading “"I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."”
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “"I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."”
get by special effort
From this reading “"I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."”
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading “Do you know that this is a serious matter?"”
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 "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I have never been dead in all my life.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I have never been dead in all my life.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "How can I know that?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading I have never been dead in all my life.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
-ing form of “deprive” — take away possessions from someone
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
only a very short time before
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have never been dead in all my life.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How can I know that?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I have never been dead in all my life.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Do you know that this is a serious matter?"
plural of “joke” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Do you know that this is a serious matter?"
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading I have never been dead in all my life.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
for more time
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Do you know that this is a serious matter?"
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I have never been dead in all my life.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I have never been dead in all my life.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
get by special effort
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Do you know that this is a serious matter?"
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I could hardly secure a longer rest for myself by depriving him of some of his."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Do you know that this is a serious matter?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Do you know that this is a serious matter?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Good God, man! do you mean to go to your death with nothing but jokes upon your lips?
Chapter 4 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 by Ambrose Bierce holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 386 sentences of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 by Ambrose Bierce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 by Ambrose Bierce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3636 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13334 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13334, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 303 minutes of reading across 728 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 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 Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
