Chapter 4 of The Inferno is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Inferno is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I went for several days without seeing anything. Those days were frightfully warm. At first the sky was grey and rainy. Now September was flaming to a close. Friday!
Chapter 4 of The Inferno is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
informal intensifiers
From this reading “Now September was flaming to a close.”
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading “Friday!”
used as intensifiers
From this reading “Those days were frightfully warm.”
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading “At first the sky was grey and rainy.”
(of weather) wet by periods of rain
From this reading “At first the sky was grey and rainy.”
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading “Now September was flaming to a close.”
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading “At first the sky was grey and rainy.”
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading “Those days were frightfully warm.”
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 Now September was flaming to a close.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At first the sky was grey and rainy.
any thing at all
From this reading I went for several days without seeing anything.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first the sky was grey and rainy.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Now September was flaming to a close.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading I went for several days without seeing anything.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first the sky was grey and rainy.
informal intensifiers
From this reading Now September was flaming to a close.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I went for several days without seeing anything.
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading Friday!
used as intensifiers
From this reading Those days were frightfully warm.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading At first the sky was grey and rainy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I went for several days without seeing anything.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now September was flaming to a close.
(of weather) wet by periods of rain
From this reading At first the sky was grey and rainy.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading I went for several days without seeing anything.
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading Now September was flaming to a close.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading I went for several days without seeing anything.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading At first the sky was grey and rainy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At first the sky was grey and rainy.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Those days were frightfully warm.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now September was flaming to a close.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading Those days were frightfully warm.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At first the sky was grey and rainy.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I went for several days without seeing anything.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Those days were frightfully warm.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I went for several days without seeing anything.
Chapter 4 of The Inferno by Henri Barbusse holds 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 246 sentences of The Inferno, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Inferno by Henri Barbusse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 Inferno by Henri Barbusse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3518 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12414 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12414, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 293 minutes of reading across 704 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Inferno section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Inferno 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 Inferno, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
