Chapter 4 of The vow is here in full — 420 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 vow is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable. Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular. He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room. “Tell me—is she dying?” he demanded hoarsely. “No, sir.
Chapter 4 of The vow is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading “Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.”
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.”
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading ““Tell me—is she dying?” he demanded hoarsely.”
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading “He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.”
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading “Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.”
in a vicious manner
From this reading “He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.”
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading “John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.”
incapable of being tolerated or endured
From this reading “John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.”
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 “He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.”
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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “Tell me—is she dying?” he demanded hoarsely.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading “Tell me—is she dying?” he demanded hoarsely.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
opinion or judgment
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading “Tell me—is she dying?” he demanded hoarsely.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Tell me—is she dying?” he demanded hoarsely.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Tell me—is she dying?” he demanded hoarsely.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, sir.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.
in a vicious manner
From this reading He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Tell me—is she dying?” he demanded hoarsely.
term of address for a man
From this reading “No, sir.
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
express in words
From this reading “Tell me—is she dying?” he demanded hoarsely.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took the nurse almost savagely by the arm and dragged her from the room.
incapable of being tolerated or endured
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading John Gaunt’s eyes were fixed eagerly on his wife and the suspense was unbearable.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, her breathing did seem to be more regular.
Chapter 4 of The vow by Paul Trent holds 420 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 420 sentences of The vow, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The vow by Paul Trent exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 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 vow by Paul Trent on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5718 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72697 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72697, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 476 minutes of reading across 1144 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The vow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The vow 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 vow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
