Chapter 4 of The dark mother is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The dark mother is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee. In this state he tried to sleep. He lay naked in bed. The sheets clung to his flesh. His skin prickled with irritation.
Chapter 4 of The dark mother is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading “The sheets clung to his flesh.”
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading “In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.”
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading “The sheets clung to his flesh.”
past form of “ice” — decorate with frosting
From this reading “In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.”
the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
From this reading “His skin prickled with irritation.”
completely unclothed
From this reading “He lay naked in bed.”
plural of “sheet” — any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading “The sheets clung to his flesh.”
suppress in order to conceal or hide
From this reading “In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.”
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.
In this reading “He lay naked in bed.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He lay naked in bed.
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading The sheets clung to his flesh.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading The sheets clung to his flesh.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In this state he tried to sleep.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
past form of “ice” — decorate with frosting
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
From this reading His skin prickled with irritation.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He lay naked in bed.
completely unclothed
From this reading He lay naked in bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His skin prickled with irritation.
plural of “sheet” — any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading The sheets clung to his flesh.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading His skin prickled with irritation.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading In this state he tried to sleep.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
suppress in order to conceal or hide
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading In this state he tried to sleep.
hard to endure
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In this state, David took his supper--trying to stifle the heat with iced tea and iced coffee.
Chapter 4 of The dark mother by Waldo David Frank holds 406 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 406 sentences of The dark mother, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The dark mother by Waldo David Frank exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 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 dark mother by Waldo David Frank on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The dark mother section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The dark mother 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 dark mother, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
