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Winesburg, Ohio
Winesburg, Ohio

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Winesburg, Ohio is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Winesburg, Ohio
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The son shook his head.
I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.
I can’t even talk to father about it.
I don’t try.
There isn’t any use.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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Winesburg, Ohio

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Winesburg, Ohio is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The son shook his head.
Line 2
I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.
Line 3
I can’t even talk to father about it.
Line 4
I don’t try.
Line 5
There isn’t any use.

All words in this reading · 30

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.

about

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I can’t even talk to father about it.

any

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There isn’t any use.

but

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

can't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

could

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I don’t try.

earnestly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

even

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I can’t even talk to father about it.

father

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I can’t even talk to father about it.

he

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

head

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The son shook his head.

his

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The son shook his head.

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

isn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There isn’t any use.

it

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I can’t even talk to father about it.

make

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

oh

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

said

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

shook

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The son shook his head.

son

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The son shook his head.

suppose

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

talk

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I can’t even talk to father about it.

The

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The son shook his head.

There

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There isn’t any use.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I can’t even talk to father about it.

try

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I don’t try.

understand

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

use

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There isn’t any use.

wish

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

you

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I suppose I can’t make you understand, but oh, I wish I could,” he said earnestly.

Chapter 4 of Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson holds 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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.

What does chapter 4 of Winesburg, Ohio contain?

Chapter 4 holds 195 sentences of Winesburg, Ohio, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Winesburg, Ohio?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Winesburg, Ohio

Common questions about reading Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Winesburg, Ohio?

Yes. All 4335 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #416 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Winesburg, Ohio is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #416, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Winesburg, Ohio take to read?

About 361 minutes of reading across 867 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Winesburg, Ohio section by section

How to work through Winesburg, Ohio section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 23 chapters of Winesburg, Ohio to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Winesburg, Ohio

Words and structures a reader meets early in Winesburg, Ohio, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Tales
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Winesburg, Ohio; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Persons
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Winesburg, Ohio; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Grotesque
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Winesburg, Ohio; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hands
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Winesburg, Ohio; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.