Chapter 4 of The Innocents: A Story for Lovers is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Innocents: A Story for Lovers is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He didn't say it. But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea. He was silent all the way home. He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book. He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
Chapter 4 of The Innocents: A Story for Lovers is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading “But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.”
in an exultant manner
From this reading “He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.”
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading “He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.”
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading “He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.”
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.”
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “He was silent all the way home.”
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 made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He was silent all the way home.
Having no one else present.
From this reading He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn't say it.
in an exultant manner
From this reading He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He didn't say it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading He was silent all the way home.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He didn't say it.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading But Father had been knocked breathless by an idea.
immediately past
From this reading He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading He made figures on the last leaf of his little pocket account-book.
express in words
From this reading He didn't say it.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading He was silent all the way home.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was silent all the way home.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He manoeuvered to get Mother alone, and exultantly shot his idea at her.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was silent all the way home.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He was silent all the way home.
Chapter 4 of The Innocents: A Story for Lovers by Sinclair Lewis holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 118 sentences of The Innocents: A Story for Lovers, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Innocents: A Story for Lovers by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Innocents: A Story for Lovers by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2385 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25430 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25430, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 198 minutes of reading across 477 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Innocents: A Story for Lovers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Innocents: A Story for Lovers 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 Innocents: A Story for Lovers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
