Chapter 4 of Vandover and the Brute is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Vandover and the Brute is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody. I don't _know_ a thing, I can't _do_ a thing. I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching. I'm not good for anything. I'm not a help to anybody."
Chapter 4 of Vandover and the Brute is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 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.
any person at all
From this reading “"I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.”
a hole through which buttons are pushed
From this reading “I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.”
prepare a hot meal
From this reading “I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.”
the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading “I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.”
except for; apart from
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading “I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “"I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.”
the day immediately before today
From this reading “I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.”
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 I don't _know_ a thing, I can't _do_ a thing.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
any person at all
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
any thing at all
From this reading I'm not good for anything.
a hole through which buttons are pushed
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't _know_ a thing, I can't _do_ a thing.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I don't _know_ a thing, I can't _do_ a thing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't _know_ a thing, I can't _do_ a thing.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I'm not good for anything.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading I'm not a help to anybody."
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm not good for anything.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
and nothing more
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I don't _know_ a thing, I can't _do_ a thing.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I'm not good for anything.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
many times at short intervals
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
except for; apart from
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
a special situation
From this reading I don't _know_ a thing, I can't _do_ a thing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "I often wonder what good I am in the world to anybody.
the day immediately before today
From this reading I couldn't cook the plainest kind of a meal to _save_ me, and it took me all of two hours yesterday to do just a little buttonhole stitching.
Chapter 4 of Vandover and the Brute by Frank Norris holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of Vandover and the Brute, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Vandover and the Brute by Frank Norris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Vandover and the Brute by Frank Norris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5251 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14712 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14712, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 437 minutes of reading across 1051 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vandover and the Brute section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Vandover and the Brute 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 Vandover and the Brute, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
