Chapter 4 of Voices from the Past is here in full — 423 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 Voices from the Past is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights. Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke. It is a healing tempo...I am grateful... These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives. I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
Chapter 4 of Voices from the Past is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
plural of “bother” — an angry disturbance
From this reading “Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights.”
-ing form of “coo” — speak softly or lovingly
From this reading “These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.”
plural of “dove” — any of numerous small pigeons
From this reading “These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.”
plural of “hammock” — a small natural hill
From this reading “These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.”
the natural process by which the body repairs itself
From this reading “It is a healing tempo...I am grateful...”
covered with or smelling of mold
From this reading “Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.”
plural of “olive” — small ovoid fruit of the European olive tree; important food and source of oil
From this reading “These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.”
(music) the speed at which a composition is to be played
From this reading “It is a healing tempo...I am grateful...”
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 “These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.”
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 Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading It is a healing tempo...I am grateful...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
plural of “bother” — an angry disturbance
From this reading Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
-ing form of “coo” — speak softly or lovingly
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights.
an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
plural of “delight” — a feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction
From this reading Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights.
plural of “dove” — any of numerous small pigeons
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
plural of “dress” — a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading It is a healing tempo...I am grateful...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
plural of “hammock” — a small natural hill
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
the natural process by which the body repairs itself
From this reading It is a healing tempo...I am grateful...
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It is a healing tempo...I am grateful...
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a healing tempo...I am grateful...
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a healing tempo...I am grateful...
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
moving slowly and gently
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
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 I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights.
covered with or smelling of mold
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
plural of “olive” — small ovoid fruit of the European olive tree; important food and source of oil
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
(music) the speed at which a composition is to be played
From this reading It is a healing tempo...I am grateful...
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These are lazy, summer days, the hammocks full, doves cooing in the olives.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Heptha bothers the cook to prepare me special delights.
plural of “try” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading I send my thoughts on a long trip: may they find Phaon and bring him back to me.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Anaktoria dresses up a song, Helen and Gyrinno dance, Atthis tries a musty joke.
Chapter 4 of Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett holds 423 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 423 sentences of Voices from the Past, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 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 Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11644 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39468 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39468, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2329 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Voices from the Past section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Voices from the Past 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 Voices from the Past, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
