Chapter 4 of The Divine Fire is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Divine Fire is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre. The young girl had vanished. For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had. Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn. Whether, in short, he would make a night of it.
Chapter 4 of The Divine Fire is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 state of actually existing objectively
From this reading “Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.”
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading “At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.”
-ing form of “debate” — argue with one another
From this reading “For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.”
someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
From this reading “Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.”
a special anniversary (or the celebration of it)
From this reading “At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.”
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading “Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.”
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading “Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.”
a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
From this reading “At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.”
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 At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
the state of actually existing objectively
From this reading Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
the first light of day
From this reading Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.
-ing form of “debate” — argue with one another
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
set up or found
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
From this reading Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.
a young female
From this reading The young girl had vanished.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The young girl had vanished.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Whether, in short, he would make a night of it.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.
a special anniversary (or the celebration of it)
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
engage in
From this reading Whether, in short, he would make a night of it.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Whether, in short, he would make a night of it.
according to the clock
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Whether, in short, he would make a night of it.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.
having passed out of existence
From this reading The young girl had vanished.
a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
From this reading At ten o'clock he found himself in a corridor of the Jubilee Variety Theatre.
precisely as stated
From this reading Or whether he would pursue the young Joy, the fugitive actuality, to the very threshold of the dawn.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading For a moment he stood debating whether he would go home and work out some ideas he had.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young girl had vanished.
Chapter 4 of The Divine Fire by May Sinclair holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 121 sentences of The Divine Fire, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Divine Fire by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Divine Fire by May Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 15108 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13996 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13996, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3022 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Divine Fire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Divine Fire 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 Divine Fire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
