Chapter 4 of A Book About Myself is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Book About Myself is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition. I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges. By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind. So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript. They were food for dreams; little more.
Chapter 4 of A Book About Myself is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
From this reading “By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.”
the act of gathering something together
From this reading “I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.”
plural of “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.”
plural of “district” — a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading “I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.”
plural of “excuse” — a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
From this reading “I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.”
to make better
From this reading “AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.”
lacking distinct or individual characteristics; dull and uninteresting
From this reading “So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.”
characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive
From this reading “So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.”
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 “By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.”
In this reading “So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.”
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 By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
From this reading By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
the act of gathering something together
From this reading I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
a state at a particular time
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
plural of “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
characterized by great determination
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.
plural of “district” — a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading They were food for dreams; little more.
plural of “excuse” — a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
From this reading I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading They were food for dreams; little more.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
to make better
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They were food for dreams; little more.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading By degrees I had come to feel a great contempt for the average mind.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They were food for dreams; little more.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
lacking distinct or individual characteristics; dull and uninteresting
From this reading So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.
Identical; not different.
From this reading I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.
characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive
From this reading So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were food for dreams; little more.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading AS April advanced I left the Corbin Company, determined to improve my condition.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was tired of collecting—the same districts, the same excuses, innocences, subterfuges.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading So many people were so low, so shifty, so dirty, so nondescript.
Chapter 4 of A Book About Myself by Theodore Dreiser holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 146 sentences of A Book About Myself, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Book About Myself by Theodore Dreiser exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 A Book About Myself by Theodore Dreiser on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8541 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62995 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62995, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1709 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Book About Myself section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of A Book About Myself 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 A Book About Myself, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
