Chapter 4 of The Valley of Vision is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Valley of Vision is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly. “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it. You lied to your wife. You forged; you tricked her who trusted you. You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
Chapter 4 of The Valley of Vision is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
reproduced fraudulently
From this reading “You forged; you tricked her who trusted you.”
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading “You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.”
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading “You lied to your wife.”
a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading ““And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading ““That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.”
with sternness; in a severe manner
From this reading ““And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.”
past form of “trick” — deceive somebody
From this reading “You forged; you tricked her who trusted you.”
(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence
From this reading “You forged; you tricked her who trusted you.”
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 “And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
reproduced fraudulently
From this reading You forged; you tricked her who trusted you.
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading You forged; you tricked her who trusted you.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading You lied to your wife.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading “And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.
express in words
From this reading You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
with sternness; in a severe manner
From this reading “And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.
a special situation
From this reading You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.
past form of “trick” — deceive somebody
From this reading You forged; you tricked her who trusted you.
(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence
From this reading You forged; you tricked her who trusted you.
except if; if not
From this reading “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “That is what you were, and what you remain unless you can learn to help it.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
which person or people
From this reading You forged; you tricked her who trusted you.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading You lied to your wife.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And you were a dog,” said the priest sternly.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You lied to your wife.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading You have done the thing which you yourself say she would never forgive.
Chapter 4 of The Valley of Vision by Henry Van Dyke holds 448 sentences, grouped into 90 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 448 sentences of The Valley of Vision, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Valley of Vision by Henry Van Dyke exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Valley of Vision by Henry Van Dyke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3528 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6009 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6009, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 294 minutes of reading across 706 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Valley of Vision section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Valley of Vision 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 Valley of Vision, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
