Chapter 4 of The sign of the prophet is here in full — 538 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The sign of the prophet is here in full — 538 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question. “Jest this minute,” Farley replied promptly. “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone. Then I called you. Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!”
Chapter 4 of The sign of the prophet is here in full — 538 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/107 · 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 state of being absent
From this reading ““When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.”
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading “Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!””
a regional term for “creature” (especially for domestic animals)
From this reading “Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!””
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading ““When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.”
possessive form of “douglas” — United States politician who proposed that individual territories be allowed to decide whether they would have slavery; he engaged in a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln (1813-1861)
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading ““Jest this minute,” Farley replied promptly.”
hear with intention
From this reading “Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!””
with little or no delay
From this reading ““Jest this minute,” Farley replied promptly.”
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.
In this reading ““Jest this minute,” Farley replied promptly.”
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.
the state of being absent
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Then I called you.
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
a regional term for “creature” (especially for domestic animals)
From this reading Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
possessive form of “douglas” — United States politician who proposed that individual territories be allowed to decide whether they would have slavery; he engaged in a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln (1813-1861)
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Jest this minute,” Farley replied promptly.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
set up or found
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
destroyed or killed
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “Jest this minute,” Farley replied promptly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
hear with intention
From this reading Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “Jest this minute,” Farley replied promptly.
with little or no delay
From this reading “Jest this minute,” Farley replied promptly.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Jest this minute,” Farley replied promptly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then I called you.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Jest this minute,” Farley replied promptly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Listen to that critter squallin’—an’ he calls it singin’!”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
at the time that
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “That dang Kaintuckian waked me up with his caterwaulin’—an’ I found the Injin gone.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “When did you discover his absence, Joe?” was Douglas’s first question.
Chapter 4 of The sign of the prophet by J. B. (James Ball) Naylor holds 538 sentences, grouped into 108 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 538 sentences of The sign of the prophet, unabridged, divided into 108 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The sign of the prophet by J. B. (James Ball) Naylor exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 538 sentences, grouped into 108 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 108 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 108 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 sign of the prophet by J. B. (James Ball) Naylor 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 sign of the prophet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The sign of the prophet 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 sign of the prophet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
