Chapter 4 of The Devourers is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Devourers is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He does not look ill," said Mrs. Avory. "Nor does she," said Edith. "No one does." And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast. "Have you noticed," she said, "that nobody coughs?"
Chapter 4 of The Devourers is here in full — 407 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.
plural of “cough” — a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis
From this reading “"Have you noticed," she said, "that nobody coughs?"”
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading “And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.”
possessive form of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading “And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.”
easily broken or damaged or destroyed
From this reading “And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.”
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.”
-ing form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading “And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.”
intense and profound fear
From this reading “And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.”
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.”
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.
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.
(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 And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He does not look ill," said Mrs. Avory.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
plural of “cough” — a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis
From this reading "Have you noticed," she said, "that nobody coughs?"
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
possessive form of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He does not look ill," said Mrs. Avory.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nor does she," said Edith.
easily broken or damaged or destroyed
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
-ing form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you noticed," she said, "that nobody coughs?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He does not look ill," said Mrs. Avory.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
intense and profound fear
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "He does not look ill," said Mrs. Avory.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
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 And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "He does not look ill," said Mrs. Avory.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "He does not look ill," said Mrs. Avory.
not any; not one
From this reading "No one does."
no person; not anyone
From this reading "Have you noticed," she said, "that nobody coughs?"
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading "Nor does she," said Edith.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "He does not look ill," said Mrs. Avory.
being perceived or observed
From this reading "Have you noticed," she said, "that nobody coughs?"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "No one does."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "He does not look ill," said Mrs. Avory.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Nor does she," said Edith.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading And the mother gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, and wondered if they all had within them the gnawing horror that she knew was shut in her daughter's fragile breast.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you noticed," she said, "that nobody coughs?"
Chapter 4 of The Devourers by Annie Vivanti holds 407 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 407 sentences of The Devourers, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Devourers by Annie Vivanti exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 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 Devourers by Annie Vivanti on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7003 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39145 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39145, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 583 minutes of reading across 1401 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Devourers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Devourers 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 Devourers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
