Chapter 4 of Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?” “Do with this house?” I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss. “Yes; shall we let it, or sell it--or what? Or give it away?”
Chapter 4 of Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)
From this reading “I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.”
the boundary of a surface
From this reading “I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.”
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading “I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “Or give it away?””
destroyed or killed
From this reading ““What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?””
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading ““Yes; shall we let it, or sell it--or what?”
having a supporting base
From this reading “I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.”
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.
a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Or give it away?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Or give it away?”
destroyed or killed
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Yes; shall we let it, or sell it--or what?
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Yes; shall we let it, or sell it--or what?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Yes; shall we let it, or sell it--or what?
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading “Yes; shall we let it, or sell it--or what?
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “Yes; shall we let it, or sell it--or what?
having a supporting base
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I echoed; and I felt as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
during the time that
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes; shall we let it, or sell it--or what?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What would you like to have me do with this house while we are gone?”
Chapter 4 of Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance by William Dean Howells holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2532 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8295 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8295, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 211 minutes of reading across 507 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance 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 Through the Eye of the Needle: A Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
