Chapter 4 of The Elm-Tree on the Mall is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Elm-Tree on the Mall is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I don’t believe in such things as these! I don’t believe in them!” But doubt and anxiety overwhelmed him. He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess. It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
Chapter 4 of The Elm-Tree on the Mall is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading “But doubt and anxiety overwhelmed him.”
possessive form of “goldsmith” — an artisan who makes jewelry and other objects out of gold
having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree
From this reading “He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.”
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading “He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.”
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading “But doubt and anxiety overwhelmed him.”
a woman prophet
From this reading “He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.”
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading “He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.”
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading “He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.”
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 wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But doubt and anxiety overwhelmed him.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading But doubt and anxiety overwhelmed him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “I don’t believe in such things as these!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “I don’t believe in such things as these!
the two together, not just one
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But doubt and anxiety overwhelmed him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t believe in such things as these!
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading But doubt and anxiety overwhelmed him.
possessive form of “goldsmith” — an artisan who makes jewelry and other objects out of gold
From this reading It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But doubt and anxiety overwhelmed him.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t believe in such things as these!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I don’t believe in such things as these!
having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
and nothing more
From this reading It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
come together
From this reading It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading But doubt and anxiety overwhelmed him.
a woman prophet
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “I don’t believe in such things as these!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I don’t believe in them!”
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “I don’t believe in such things as these!
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “I don’t believe in such things as these!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
at the time that
From this reading It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading He wished to know what Abbé Guitrel, whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent, thought on the subject of this prophetess.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It was just the time when he would meet the abbé at the goldsmith’s house.
Chapter 4 of The Elm-Tree on the Mall by Anatole France holds 391 sentences, grouped into 79 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 391 sentences of The Elm-Tree on the Mall, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Elm-Tree on the Mall by Anatole France exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 391 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Elm-Tree on the Mall by Anatole France on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2829 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49924 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49924, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 235 minutes of reading across 566 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Elm-Tree on the Mall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Elm-Tree on the Mall 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 Elm-Tree on the Mall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
