Chapter 4 of The Executioner's Knife is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Executioner's Knife is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE HARP OF MERLIN. Sybille seemed to be in a trance. "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence: "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.' 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
Chapter 4 of The Executioner's Knife is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
From this reading “"The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “"'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'”
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading “THE HARP OF MERLIN.”
a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
From this reading “"The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:”
(Arthurian legend) the magician who acted as King Arthur's advisor
From this reading “THE HARP OF MERLIN.”
recite in elocution
From this reading “"The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:”
a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation
From this reading “Sybille seemed to be in a trance.”
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading “'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'”
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 “'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'”
In this reading “Sybille seemed to be in a trance.”
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 Sybille seemed to be in a trance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.
From this reading "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Sybille seemed to be in a trance.
(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
an old form of “does”
From this reading "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
a ceremonial dinner party for many people
From this reading "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading THE HARP OF MERLIN.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sybille seemed to be in a trance.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'
immediately past
From this reading 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
(Arthurian legend) the magician who acted as King Arthur's advisor
From this reading THE HARP OF MERLIN.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
not any; not one
From this reading 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE HARP OF MERLIN.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
recite in elocution
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Sybille seemed to be in a trance.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sybille seemed to be in a trance.
express in words
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HARP OF MERLIN.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sybille seemed to be in a trance.
a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation
From this reading Sybille seemed to be in a trance.
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "'My poor grandmother, Oh, I wish to attend The feast that the King doth give.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "The legend," she said, "that I shall tell you is called _The Harp of Merlin_;" and she proceeded to recite in a rythmic cadence:
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'No, Alain, to this feast shall you not go: Last night you wept in your dream.'
Chapter 4 of The Executioner's Knife by Eugène Sue holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 99 sentences of The Executioner's Knife, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Executioner's Knife by Eugène Sue exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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.
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Yes. All 5473 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37399 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37399, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 456 minutes of reading across 1095 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Executioner's Knife section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Executioner's Knife, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
