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The first soprano
The first soprano

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The first soprano is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The first soprano
Context Illustration Reading 1/41 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.
She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.
She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.
She had not got beyond the text of Sunday:
"The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The first soprano

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The first soprano is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.
Line 2
She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.
/ʃiː muːvd əˈbaʊt hɜːr ruːm wɪð ðə ɪɡˌzɪlərˈeɪʃən ʌv ə freʃ dʒɔɪ ɪn ˈlɪvɪŋ/
Line 3
She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.
/ʃiː tʊk hɜːr ˈbaɪbəl wɪtʃ stɪl wɔːr ðə dʒenˈtiːl ənˈsʌlid dres ʌv ə ˈstreɪndʒər ənd tɜːrnd tuː ðə pleɪs ʃiː wɪʃt tuː red/
Line 4
She had not got beyond the text of Sunday:
/ʃiː hæd nɑːt ɡɑːt bɪˈɑːnd ðə tekst ʌv ˈsʌndeɪ/
Line 5
"The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

Learner Dictionary

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.

Bible noun US /ˈbaɪbəl/

the sacred writings of the Christian religions

From this reading “She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.”

exhilaration noun US /ɪɡˌzɪlərˈeɪʃən/

the feeling of lively and cheerful joy

From this reading “She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.”

genteel adjective US /dʒenˈtiːl/

marked by refinement in taste and manners

From this reading “She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.”

melody noun US /ˈmelədi/

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

From this reading “ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.”

text noun US /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading “She had not got beyond the text of Sunday:”

Tuesday noun US /ˈtuːzdi/

the third day of the week; the second working day

From this reading “ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.”

unsullied adjective US /ənˈsʌlid/

spotlessly clean and fresh

From this reading “She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.”

worshiper noun US /ˈwɜːrʃəpər/

someone who admires too much to recognize faults

From this reading “"The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

ADELE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

awokeverbUS /əˈwoʊk/

inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping

From this reading ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading She had not got beyond the text of Sunday:

BiblenounUS /ˈbaɪbəl/

the sacred writings of the Christian religions

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

cometh

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

dressverbUS /dres/

put on clothes

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

exhilarationnounUS /ɪɡˌzɪlərˈeɪʃən/

the feeling of lively and cheerful joy

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

FathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

freshadjectiveUS /freʃ/

recently made, produced, or harvested

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

genteeladjectiveUS /dʒenˈtiːl/

marked by refinement in taste and manners

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading She had not got beyond the text of Sunday:

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading She had not got beyond the text of Sunday:

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

joynounUS /dʒɔɪ/

the emotion of great happiness

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

livingnounUS /ˈlɪvɪŋ/

the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

melodynounUS /ˈmelədi/

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

From this reading ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.

movedadjectiveUS /muːvd/

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She had not got beyond the text of Sunday:

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

spiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/

the vital principle or animating force within living things

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

strangernounUS /ˈstreɪndʒər/

anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

SundaynounUS /ˈsʌndeɪ/

first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians

From this reading She had not got beyond the text of Sunday:

textnounUS /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading She had not got beyond the text of Sunday:

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading She moved about her room with the exhilaration of a fresh joy in living.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

TuesdaynounUS /ˈtuːzdi/

the third day of the week; the second working day

From this reading ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

unsulliedadjectiveUS /ənˈsʌlid/

spotlessly clean and fresh

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

Winifred

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.

wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/

past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading ADELE Winifred awoke Tuesday morning with melody in her heart.

woreverbUS /wɔːr/

inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in

From this reading She took her Bible, which still wore the genteel, unsullied dress of a stranger, and turned to the place she wished to read.

worshipverbUS /ˈwɜːrʃəp/

love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

worshipernounUS /ˈwɜːrʃəpər/

someone who admires too much to recognize faults

From this reading "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

Chapter 4 of The first soprano by Mary Hitchcock holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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.

What does chapter 4 of The first soprano contain?

Chapter 4 holds 208 sentences of The first soprano, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The first soprano by Mary Hitchcock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of The first soprano?

Work through the 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 42 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The first soprano

Common questions about reading The first soprano by Mary Hitchcock on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The first soprano?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The first soprano is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The first soprano take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The first soprano section by section

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The first soprano

Words and structures a reader meets early in The first soprano, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The first soprano, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The first soprano, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.