Chapter 4 of A Changed Man, and Other Tales is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Changed Man, and Other Tales is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'O, the pity of it! Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here! And now!
Chapter 4 of A Changed Man, and Other Tales is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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.
the act of contracting or assuming or acquiring possession of something
From this reading “Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!”
lively and spirited
From this reading “Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!”
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading “'O, the pity of it!”
regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public
From this reading “Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!”
relating to human society and its members
From this reading “Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!”
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading “Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!”
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading “Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!”
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!”
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 Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
the act of contracting or assuming or acquiring possession of something
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now!
lively and spirited
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'O, the pity of it!
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now!
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading 'O, the pity of it!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'O, the pity of it!
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading 'O, the pity of it!
regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
relating to human society and its members
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'O, the pity of it!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Such a dashing soldier--so popular--such an acquisition to the town--the soul of social life here!
Chapter 4 of A Changed Man, and Other Tales by Thomas Hardy holds 31 sentences, grouped into 7 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 31 sentences of A Changed Man, and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Changed Man, and Other Tales by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 31 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 Changed Man, and Other Tales by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4871 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3058 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3058, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 405 minutes of reading across 975 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Changed Man, and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of A Changed Man, and Other Tales 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 Changed Man, and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
