Chapter 4 of The Piazza Tales is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Piazza Tales is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And how long has this been?” “Some sixty days.” “And obedient in all else? And respectful?” “Yes.”
Chapter 4 of The Piazza Tales is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading ““And how long has this been?””
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading ““Some sixty days.””
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ““And how long has this been?””
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 ““And how long has this been?””
dutifully complying with the commands or instructions of those in authority
From this reading ““And obedient in all else?”
full of or exhibiting respect
From this reading “And respectful?””
being ten more than fifty
From this reading ““Some sixty days.””
an affirmative
From this reading ““Yes.””
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.
(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 “And obedient in all else?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And how long has this been?”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “And how long has this been?”
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “Some sixty days.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And obedient in all else?
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “And how long has this been?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And how long has this been?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “And obedient in all else?
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 “And how long has this been?”
dutifully complying with the commands or instructions of those in authority
From this reading “And obedient in all else?
full of or exhibiting respect
From this reading And respectful?”
being ten more than fifty
From this reading “Some sixty days.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Some sixty days.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “And how long has this been?”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes.”
Chapter 4 of The Piazza Tales by Herman Melville holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 419 sentences of The Piazza Tales, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Piazza Tales by Herman Melville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Piazza Tales by Herman Melville on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Piazza Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Piazza Tales 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 Piazza Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
