Chapter 4 of Violists is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Violists is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk. The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips. He cupped a hairy hand to his ear. "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let." "Yeah, we got a lot of rooms."
Chapter 4 of Violists is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
getting bald
From this reading “A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.”
having hair on the cheeks and chin
From this reading “A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.”
having or covered with hair
From this reading “He cupped a hairy hand to his ear.”
having very thin stripes
From this reading “A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.”
lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
From this reading “The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.”
a short piece remaining on a trunk or stem where a branch is lost
From this reading “The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.”
filled with something
From this reading “The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.”
not only so, but
From this reading “"Yeah, we got a lot of rooms."”
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 A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
getting bald
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
having hair on the cheeks and chin
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He cupped a hairy hand to his ear.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading He cupped a hairy hand to his ear.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Yeah, we got a lot of rooms."
having or covered with hair
From this reading He cupped a hairy hand to his ear.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He cupped a hairy hand to his ear.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He cupped a hairy hand to his ear.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading "Yeah, we got a lot of rooms."
comparative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
on one occasion
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
having very thin stripes
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading "Yeah, we got a lot of rooms."
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
declared as fact; explicitly stated
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
a short piece remaining on a trunk or stem where a branch is lost
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
filled with something
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A short, bearded and balding man in a brown, pinstriped suit that might once have been new, stood at the front desk.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He cupped a hairy hand to his ear.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The stub of a stale cigar not two inches long was stuffed between his lips.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Yeah, we got a lot of rooms."
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
not only so, but
From this reading "Yeah, we got a lot of rooms."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I asked," Jurgen stated in a much louder voice, "whether you have a room to let."
Chapter 4 of Violists by Richard McGowan holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 213 sentences of Violists, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Violists by Richard McGowan exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Violists by Richard McGowan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1413 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #112 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #112, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 117 minutes of reading across 283 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Violists section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Violists 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 Violists, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
