Chapter IV of The Phantom Violin, “Captivating Phantom,” is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter IV of The Phantom Violin, “Captivating Phantom,” is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar. “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer? Who can have written it? Perhaps no one. It may have come direct from heaven.”
Chapter IV of The Phantom Violin, “Captivating Phantom,” is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
command with authority
From this reading “It may have come direct from heaven.””
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.”
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading “The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.”
the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading ““Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?”
a short musical composition with words
From this reading ““Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?”
not known or well known
From this reading “The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading ““Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?”
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading “Who can have written it?”
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.
(Anglican Church) a daily evening service with prayers prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer
In this reading ““Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?”
In this reading “It may have come direct from heaven.””
In this reading “It may have come direct from heaven.””
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 “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Who can have written it?
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It may have come direct from heaven.”
command with authority
From this reading It may have come direct from heaven.”
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It may have come direct from heaven.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Who can have written it?
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading It may have come direct from heaven.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It may have come direct from heaven.”
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.
not any; not one
From this reading Perhaps no one.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Perhaps no one.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?
by chance
From this reading Perhaps no one.
the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?
a short musical composition with words
From this reading “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.
not known or well known
From this reading The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The music to which Greta listened was unfamiliar.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “Is it a song?” she whispered, “or an evening prayer?
which person or people
From this reading Who can have written it?
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading Who can have written it?
Chapter 4 of The Phantom Violin by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 86 sentences of The Phantom Violin, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Phantom Violin by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Phantom Violin by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4180 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44294 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44294, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 348 minutes of reading across 836 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Phantom Violin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Phantom Violin 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 Phantom Violin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
