Chapter 4 of The Marble Faun is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Marble Faun is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon. “It is but a moment since she was speaking.” “No, no!” said Hilda, in great alarm. “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!” “Torches! torches!” cried Donatello desperately.
Chapter 4 of The Marble Faun is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading ““No, no!” said Hilda, in great alarm.”
an underground tunnel with recesses where bodies were buried (as in ancient Rome)
From this reading “THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.”
with great urgency
From this reading ““Torches! torches!” cried Donatello desperately.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.”
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading ““It is but a moment since she was speaking.””
a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading “THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.”
plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading ““Torches! torches!” cried Donatello desperately.”
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 “It is but a moment since she was speaking.”
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “No, no!” said Hilda, in great alarm.
(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 “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “It is but a moment since she was speaking.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
an underground tunnel with recesses where bodies were buried (as in ancient Rome)
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Torches! torches!” cried Donatello desperately.
with great urgency
From this reading “Torches! torches!” cried Donatello desperately.
Florentine sculptor famous for his lifelike sculptures (1386-1466)
From this reading “Torches! torches!” cried Donatello desperately.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “No, no!” said Hilda, in great alarm.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, no!” said Hilda, in great alarm.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “No, no!” said Hilda, in great alarm.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It is but a moment since she was speaking.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It is but a moment since she was speaking.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
a particular point in time
From this reading “It is but a moment since she was speaking.”
not any; not one
From this reading “No, no!” said Hilda, in great alarm.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “No, no!” said Hilda, in great alarm.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading “It is but a moment since she was speaking.”
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading “It is but a moment since she was speaking.”
a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SPECTRE OF THE CATACOMB “Surely, she cannot be lost!” exclaimed Kenyon.
plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading “Torches! torches!” cried Donatello desperately.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It is but a moment since she was speaking.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
during the time that
From this reading “She was behind us all; and it is a long while since we have heard her voice!”
Chapter 4 of The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne holds 107 sentences, grouped into 22 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 107 sentences of The Marble Faun, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 107 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2579 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2181 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2181, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 214 minutes of reading across 516 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Marble Faun section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Marble Faun 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 Marble Faun, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
