Chapter 7 of A Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4 is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of A Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4 is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered. He now sat down, and began to open his letters. "Do you hear?" the old man roared at him. "I want you to turn him off." "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
Chapter 7 of A Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4 is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading “"Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “"Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “"Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.”
get something; come into possession of
From this reading “March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.”
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading “March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.”
past form of “roar” — make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading “"Do you hear?" the old man roared at him.”
coming after or following
From this reading “"Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.”
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 "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He now sat down, and began to open his letters.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He now sat down, and began to open his letters.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you hear?" the old man roared at him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He now sat down, and began to open his letters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Do you hear?" the old man roared at him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Do you hear?" the old man roared at him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I want you to turn him off."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
the literary culture
From this reading He now sat down, and began to open his letters.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Do you hear?" the old man roared at him.
march in a procession
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He now sat down, and began to open his letters.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "I want you to turn him off."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Do you hear?" the old man roared at him.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He now sat down, and began to open his letters.
get something; come into possession of
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
past form of “roar” — make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading "Do you hear?" the old man roared at him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He now sat down, and began to open his letters.
express in speech
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
having a supporting base
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
coming after or following
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Do you hear?" the old man roared at him.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Excuse me, Mr. Dryfoos," said March, succeeding in an effort to speak calmly, "I don't know you, in such a matter as this.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading "I want you to turn him off."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I want you to turn him off."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
at the time that
From this reading March was standing at his desk, as he had risen to receive Dryfoos when he entered.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you hear?" the old man roared at him.
Chapter 7 of A Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4 by William Dean Howells holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 7 holds 164 sentences of A Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of A Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4 by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 7 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 Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4 by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1696 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3369 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3369, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 141 minutes of reading across 340 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of A Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4 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 Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
