Chapter 4 of The Story of a Genius is here in full — 479 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Story of a Genius is here in full — 479 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre. Anxious to please the children's taste, he played them little dances. His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink. The bow wavered in his trembling hand. He was ashamed before the children.
Chapter 4 of The Story of a Genius is here in full — 479 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
plural of “dance” — an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading “Anxious to please the children's taste, he played them little dances.”
an inability to resist the gratification of whims and desires
From this reading “His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.”
stimulating or exalting to the spirit
From this reading “His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.”
the highest point in Paris; famous for its associations with many artists
From this reading “One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.”
past form of “renounce” — give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
From this reading “His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.”
not moving or operating freely
From this reading “His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.”
bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow
From this reading “One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.”
past form of “waver” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “The bow wavered in his trembling hand.”
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 “The bow wavered in his trembling hand.”
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.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Anxious to please the children's taste, he played them little dances.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading He was ashamed before the children.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He was ashamed before the children.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading The bow wavered in his trembling hand.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading He was ashamed before the children.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anxious to please the children's taste, he played them little dances.
plural of “dance” — an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading Anxious to please the children's taste, he played them little dances.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
take in liquids
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The bow wavered in his trembling hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The bow wavered in his trembling hand.
an inability to resist the gratification of whims and desires
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
stimulating or exalting to the spirit
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Anxious to please the children's taste, he played them little dances.
the highest point in Paris; famous for its associations with many artists
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading Anxious to please the children's taste, he played them little dances.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Anxious to please the children's taste, he played them little dances.
past form of “renounce” — give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
not moving or operating freely
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading His fingers had grown stiff since he had so suddenly renounced the inspiring indulgence of drink.
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading Anxious to please the children's taste, he played them little dances.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Anxious to please the children's taste, he played them little dances.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
a shaky motion
From this reading The bow wavered in his trembling hand.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow
From this reading One day he brought his violin up to the Buttes Montmartre.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was ashamed before the children.
past form of “waver” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading The bow wavered in his trembling hand.
Chapter 4 of The Story of a Genius by Ossip Schubin holds 479 sentences, grouped into 96 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 479 sentences of The Story of a Genius, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Story of a Genius by Ossip Schubin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 479 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 Story of a Genius by Ossip Schubin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2321 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35590 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35590, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 193 minutes of reading across 465 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Story of a Genius section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Story of a Genius 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 Story of a Genius, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
