Chapter 4 of Backlog Studies is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Backlog Studies is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MISTRESS. What harm? It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men. MANDEVILLE. If she is noble, and not a mere manager.
Chapter 4 of Backlog Studies is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
investing with dignity or honor
From this reading “It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.”
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading “What harm?”
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading “It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.”
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “If she is noble, and not a mere manager.”
being nothing more than specified
From this reading “If she is noble, and not a mere manager.”
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading “THE MISTRESS.”
impressive in appearance
From this reading “It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.”
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading “It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.”
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 It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If she is noble, and not a mere manager.
investing with dignity or honor
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading What harm?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If she is noble, and not a mere manager.
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading If she is noble, and not a mere manager.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MANDEVILLE.
the force of workers available
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading If she is noble, and not a mere manager.
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading THE MISTRESS.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
impressive in appearance
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If she is noble, and not a mere manager.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If she is noble, and not a mere manager.
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MISTRESS.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What harm?
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading It shows what I have always said, that the service of a noble woman is the most ennobling influence for men.
Chapter 4 of Backlog Studies by Charles Dudley Warner holds 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 168 sentences of Backlog Studies, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Backlog Studies by Charles Dudley Warner exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Backlog Studies by Charles Dudley Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2520 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3134 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3134, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 210 minutes of reading across 504 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Backlog Studies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Backlog Studies 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 Backlog Studies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
