Chapter 4 of The Ivory Tower is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Ivory Tower is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"So that I just dealt the blow----?" But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right. "He doesn't want, you see, to live after." "After having found he is mistaken?" She had a faint impatience.
Chapter 4 of The Ivory Tower is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
exhale hard
From this reading “"So that I just dealt the blow----?"”
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading “But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.”
inflected form of “deal” — act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “"So that I just dealt the blow----?"”
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading “She had a faint impatience.”
a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay
From this reading “She had a faint impatience.”
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “"He doesn't want, you see, to live after."”
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading “"After having found he is mistaken?"”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.”
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.
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 She had a faint impatience.
later than; following
From this reading "He doesn't want, you see, to live after."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
exhale hard
From this reading "So that I just dealt the blow----?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
inflected form of “deal” — act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading "So that I just dealt the blow----?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He doesn't want, you see, to live after."
divisible by two
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading She had a faint impatience.
set up or found
From this reading "After having found he is mistaken?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had a faint impatience.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading "After having found he is mistaken?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He doesn't want, you see, to live after."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "So that I just dealt the blow----?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay
From this reading She had a faint impatience.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "After having found he is mistaken?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
and nothing more
From this reading "So that I just dealt the blow----?"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "He doesn't want, you see, to live after."
engage in
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading "After having found he is mistaken?"
precisely, exactly
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "He doesn't want, you see, to live after."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So that I just dealt the blow----?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "So that I just dealt the blow----?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "So that I just dealt the blow----?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "He doesn't want, you see, to live after."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But it was as if she cared too little even to try to make that right.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "He doesn't want, you see, to live after."
Chapter 4 of The Ivory Tower by Henry James holds 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 388 sentences of The Ivory Tower, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Ivory Tower by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Ivory Tower by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2764 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62979 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62979, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 230 minutes of reading across 553 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ivory Tower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Ivory Tower 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 Ivory Tower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
