Chapter 4 of Vain oblations is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Vain oblations is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?” “Know?” It was the voice of a stone sphinx. “How can I tell you--how can I tell you?” “What?”
Chapter 4 of Vain oblations is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 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.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading ““Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?””
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading ““Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?””
capable of happening or existing
From this reading ““Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?””
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading ““Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?””
an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret
From this reading “It was the voice of a stone sphinx.”
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “It was the voice of a stone sphinx.”
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading ““Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?””
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading ““Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?””
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 ““Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?””
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 It was the voice of a stone sphinx.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “How can I tell you--how can I tell you?”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
divisible by two
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How can I tell you--how can I tell you?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the voice of a stone sphinx.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret
From this reading It was the voice of a stone sphinx.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading It was the voice of a stone sphinx.
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
express in words
From this reading “How can I tell you--how can I tell you?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading It was the voice of a stone sphinx.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the voice of a stone sphinx.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What?”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Mrs. Wace” (even the subtle van Vreck could not have explained why I did not give her her own name), “is it possible--but I pray Heaven it is--that you don’t know?”
Chapter 4 of Vain oblations by Katharine Fullerton Gerould holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of Vain oblations, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Vain oblations by Katharine Fullerton Gerould exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Vain oblations by Katharine Fullerton Gerould on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vain oblations section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Vain oblations 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 Vain oblations, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
