Chapter 4 of A Desperate Character and Other Stories is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Desperate Character and Other Stories is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’ ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’ ‘A different ... sort? That I don’t quite understand.’ My grandmother rattled her beads again.
Chapter 4 of A Desperate Character and Other Stories is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
several beads threaded together on a string
From this reading “My grandmother rattled her beads again.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’”
characterized by hard work and perseverance
From this reading “‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’”
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’”
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading “My grandmother rattled her beads again.”
third-person singular of “recommend” — push for something
From this reading “‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’”
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’”
with strength or in a strong manner
From this reading “‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’”
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 ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
anew
From this reading My grandmother rattled her beads again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
several beads threaded together on a string
From this reading My grandmother rattled her beads again.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That I don’t quite understand.’
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading My grandmother rattled her beads again.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading That I don’t quite understand.’
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
characterized by hard work and perseverance
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
go away from a place
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
a woman of refinement
From this reading ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
in such a manner as could not be otherwise
From this reading ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
a human being
From this reading ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading That I don’t quite understand.’
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading My grandmother rattled her beads again.
third-person singular of “recommend” — push for something
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
with strength or in a strong manner
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That I don’t quite understand.’
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘He needs a different sort of person to manage his estate, madam.’
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading That I don’t quite understand.’
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Yakov Petrovitch,’ began my grandmother, ‘recommends you strongly in his letter as sober and industrious; why, then, did you leave his service?’
Chapter 4 of A Desperate Character and Other Stories by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of A Desperate Character and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Desperate Character and Other Stories by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Desperate Character and Other Stories by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4914 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8871 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8871, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 409 minutes of reading across 983 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Desperate Character and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of A Desperate Character and Other Stories 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 Desperate Character and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
