Chapter 4 of The Eight Strokes of the Clock is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Eight Strokes of the Clock is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"God grant that it may be justified!" "We must go slowly," he said. "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed." He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said: "An infernally clever fellow, that Dutreuil!
Chapter 4 of The Eight Strokes of the Clock is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading “He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “"It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."”
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading “"An infernally clever fellow, that Dutreuil!”
move or strike with a noise
From this reading “He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:”
let have
From this reading “"God grant that it may be justified!"”
having words so spaced that lines have straight even margins
From this reading “"God grant that it may be justified!"”
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading “"It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."”
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading “He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:”
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 "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."
pleasantly occupied
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "God grant that it may be justified!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading "An infernally clever fellow, that Dutreuil!
move or strike with a noise
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "An infernally clever fellow, that Dutreuil!
a boy or man
From this reading "An infernally clever fellow, that Dutreuil!
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "We must go slowly," he said.
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 "God grant that it may be justified!"
let have
From this reading "God grant that it may be justified!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "We must go slowly," he said.
extremely
From this reading "An infernally clever fellow, that Dutreuil!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "God grant that it may be justified!"
having words so spaced that lines have straight even margins
From this reading "God grant that it may be justified!"
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "God grant that it may be justified!"
a particular point in time
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "We must go slowly," he said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
and nothing more
From this reading "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "We must go slowly," he said.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "We must go slowly," he said.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "God grant that it may be justified!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
precisely as stated
From this reading "It is only an attempt, but a fine, a very fine attempt; and it may succeed."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We must go slowly," he said.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was silent for a moment; then, with an amused smile and a click of the tongue, he said:
Chapter 4 of The Eight Strokes of the Clock by Maurice Leblanc holds 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 435 sentences of The Eight Strokes of the Clock, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Eight Strokes of the Clock by Maurice Leblanc exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Eight Strokes of the Clock by Maurice Leblanc on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5109 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7896 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7896, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 425 minutes of reading across 1022 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Eight Strokes of the Clock section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Eight Strokes of the Clock 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 Eight Strokes of the Clock, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
