Chapter 4 of Vera, the Medium is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Vera, the Medium is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded. “It is his sister,” called Vera. “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates. She is no longer with us. She passed into the spirit world three years ago.”
Chapter 4 of Vera, the Medium is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
in the past
From this reading “She passed into the spirit world three years ago.””
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading ““Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.”
third-person singular of “coat” — put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface
From this reading ““Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.”
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.”
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading ““It is his sister,” called Vera.”
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading “She passed into the spirit world three years ago.””
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 “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
in the past
From this reading She passed into the spirit world three years ago.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “It is his sister,” called Vera.
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
third-person singular of “coat” — put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “It is his sister,” called Vera.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She passed into the spirit world three years ago.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It is his sister,” called Vera.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It is his sister,” called Vera.
for more time
From this reading She is no longer with us.
a form of address for a man
From this reading At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
not any; not one
From this reading She is no longer with us.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading She passed into the spirit world three years ago.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She is no longer with us.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “It is his sister,” called Vera.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading She passed into the spirit world three years ago.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading She passed into the spirit world three years ago.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She is no longer with us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It is his sister,” called Vera.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She is no longer with us.
the words that are spoken
From this reading At the words Mr. Hallowell hesitated, frowned, and then nodded.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading She passed into the spirit world three years ago.”
a late time of life
From this reading She passed into the spirit world three years ago.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Her name was--I seem to get a Catherine--yes, that’s it; Catherine Coates.
Chapter 4 of Vera, the Medium by Richard Harding Davis holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 220 sentences of Vera, the Medium, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Vera, the Medium by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Vera, the Medium by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2664 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1843 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1843, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 222 minutes of reading across 533 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vera, the Medium section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Vera, the Medium 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 Vera, the Medium, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
