Chapter 4 of The Dark Tower is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 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 Tower is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Winn wanted, if possible, a home without rows. He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized. Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it. Once he had come across it. It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
Chapter 4 of The Dark Tower is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading “Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it.”
plural of “home” — where you live at a particular time
From this reading “He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.”
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading “Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it.”
conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
From this reading “He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.”
a document giving an official instruction or command
From this reading “It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.”
plural of “row” — an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading “Winn wanted, if possible, a home without rows.”
an autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China; located in the Himalayas
From this reading “It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.”
enter upon an activity or enterprise
From this reading “It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.”
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 Winn wanted, if possible, a home without rows.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Once he had come across it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Once he had come across it.
recognizable; marked
From this reading It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it.
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Winn wanted, if possible, a home without rows.
plural of “home” — where you live at a particular time
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it.
conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Winn wanted, if possible, a home without rows.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
a document giving an official instruction or command
From this reading It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it.
on one occasion
From this reading Once he had come across it.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Winn wanted, if possible, a home without rows.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
plural of “row” — an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading Winn wanted, if possible, a home without rows.
not in physical motion
From this reading Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it.
express a supposition
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
an autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China; located in the Himalayas
From this reading It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
enter upon an activity or enterprise
From this reading It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
precisely as stated
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Winn wanted, if possible, a home without rows.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Still he went on having it, hiding it, and hoping for it.
at the time that
From this reading It was the time when he had decided to undertake a mission to Tibet without a government mandate.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He knew very little of homes, and nothing which had made him suppose this ideal likely to be realized.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Winn wanted, if possible, a home without rows.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Winn wanted, if possible, a home without rows.
Chapter 4 of The Dark Tower by Phyllis Bottome holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 90 sentences of The Dark Tower, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Dark Tower by Phyllis Bottome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Tower by Phyllis Bottome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4440 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25829 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25829, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 370 minutes of reading across 888 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dark Tower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Dark Tower 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 Tower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
