Chapter 4 of Twelve Men is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Twelve Men is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Not for myself alone. I never take any money for myself alone. That would be self-seeking. Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me. I never keep it.
Chapter 4 of Twelve Men is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading “"Not for myself alone.”
any thing at all
From this reading “Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me.”
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading “Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “I never keep it.”
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me.”
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “I never take any money for myself alone.”
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “"Not for myself alone.”
carry out
From this reading “I never take any money for myself alone.”
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading "Not for myself alone.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I never take any money for myself alone.
any thing at all
From this reading Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading That would be self-seeking.
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Not for myself alone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never take any money for myself alone.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I never keep it.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I never keep it.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading I never take any money for myself alone.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "Not for myself alone.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never take any money for myself alone.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not for myself alone.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me.
taking advantage of opportunities without regard for the consequences for others
From this reading That would be self-seeking.
carry out
From this reading I never take any money for myself alone.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That would be self-seeking.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Anything I earn or take is for the Lord, not me.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading That would be self-seeking.
Chapter 4 of Twelve Men by Theodore Dreiser holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of Twelve Men, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Twelve Men by Theodore Dreiser exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Twelve Men by Theodore Dreiser on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6352 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14717 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14717, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 529 minutes of reading across 1271 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Twelve Men section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Twelve Men 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 Twelve Men, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
