Chapter 4 of Venna Hastings is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Venna Hastings is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"In the midst of life is death." It was a warm, sultry day in early April. The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale. Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring. She had lunched and was resting alone in her room.
Chapter 4 of Venna Hastings is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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 month following March and preceding May
From this reading “It was a warm, sultry day in early April.”
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading “Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.”
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading “The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale.”
past form of “lunch” — take the midday meal
From this reading “She had lunched and was resting alone in her room.”
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “She had lunched and was resting alone in her room.”
searching for or buying goods or services
From this reading “Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.”
sexually exciting or gratifying
From this reading “It was a warm, sultry day in early April.”
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading “Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.”
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 “Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.”
In this reading “It was a warm, sultry day in early April.”
the middle or central part or point
In this reading “"In the midst of life is death."”
In this reading “Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.”
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 a warm, sultry day in early April.
(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 Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale.
Having no one else present.
From this reading She had lunched and was resting alone in her room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading It was a warm, sultry day in early April.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was a warm, sultry day in early April.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading "In the midst of life is death."
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading It was a warm, sultry day in early April.
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
a social unit living together
From this reading The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale.
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had lunched and was resting alone in her room.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In the midst of life is death."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "In the midst of life is death."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a warm, sultry day in early April.
and nothing more
From this reading The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "In the midst of life is death."
past form of “lunch” — take the midday meal
From this reading She had lunched and was resting alone in her room.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading "In the midst of life is death."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "In the midst of life is death."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading She had lunched and was resting alone in her room.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She had lunched and was resting alone in her room.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had lunched and was resting alone in her room.
searching for or buying goods or services
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
the season of growth
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
sexually exciting or gratifying
From this reading It was a warm, sultry day in early April.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "In the midst of life is death."
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading It was a warm, sultry day in early April.
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading Venna had been "to town" all the morning on a shopping expedition, and had returned home somewhat fatigued by the warmth of the early spring.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a warm, sultry day in early April.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Hastings family were just settled in their summer home in Allendale.
Chapter 4 of Venna Hastings by Julia Farr holds 245 sentences, grouped into 49 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 245 sentences of Venna Hastings, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Venna Hastings by Julia Farr exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 245 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 Venna Hastings by Julia Farr on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3896 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52552 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52552, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 780 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Venna Hastings section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Venna Hastings 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 Venna Hastings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
