Chapter 4 of The Vast Abyss is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Vast Abyss is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began. Well, what is it?" "I didn't speak, sir." "No, but you looked volumes. What have they been saying now?"
Chapter 4 of The Vast Abyss is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.”
dearly loved
From this reading “"Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “"Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.”
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading “What have they been saying now?"”
term of address for a man
From this reading “"I didn't speak, sir."”
express in speech
From this reading “"I didn't speak, sir."”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “"Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.”
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “"No, but you looked volumes.”
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.
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 past participle of “be”
From this reading What have they been saying now?"
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "No, but you looked volumes.
dearly loved
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't speak, sir."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What have they been saying now?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I didn't speak, sir."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Well, what is it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
and nothing more
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "No, but you looked volumes.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
not any; not one
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading What have they been saying now?"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
and nothing more
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading What have they been saying now?"
term of address for a man
From this reading "I didn't speak, sir."
express in speech
From this reading "I didn't speak, sir."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What have they been saying now?"
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "Oh, dear me, no," said Uncle Richard, laughing; "it has only just began.
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading "No, but you looked volumes.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, what is it?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Well, what is it?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "No, but you looked volumes.
Chapter 4 of The Vast Abyss by George Manville Fenn holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of The Vast Abyss, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Vast Abyss by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Vast Abyss by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7667 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30106 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30106, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1534 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vast Abyss section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Vast Abyss 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 Vast Abyss, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
