Chapter 4 of Bel Ami is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Bel Ami is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FIRST INTRIGUE Two months elapsed. It was September. The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming. Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank. Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
Chapter 4 of Bel Ami is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
fully understood or grasped
From this reading “Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.”
in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
From this reading “Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.”
(of time) having passed or slipped by
From this reading “THE FIRST INTRIGUE Two months elapsed.”
of or characteristic of low rank or importance
From this reading “Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.”
a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
From this reading “THE FIRST INTRIGUE Two months elapsed.”
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading “Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.”
ordinariness as a consequence of being average and not outstanding
From this reading “Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.”
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading “It was September.”
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.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
fully understood or grasped
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
(of time) having passed or slipped by
From this reading THE FIRST INTRIGUE Two months elapsed.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE FIRST INTRIGUE Two months elapsed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
of or characteristic of low rank or importance
From this reading Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
From this reading THE FIRST INTRIGUE Two months elapsed.
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was September.
for more time
From this reading Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
engage in
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
ordinariness as a consequence of being average and not outstanding
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading THE FIRST INTRIGUE Two months elapsed.
not any; not one
From this reading Forestier himself no longer invited him to dinner, and treated him as an inferior.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
with speed
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading It was September.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FIRST INTRIGUE Two months elapsed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading THE FIRST INTRIGUE Two months elapsed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was September.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The fortune which Duroy had hoped to make so rapidly seemed to him slow in coming.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Above all he was dissatisfied with the mediocrity of his position; he was appreciated, but was treated according to his rank.
Chapter 4 of Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant holds 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 389 sentences of Bel Ami, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3750 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3733 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3733, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 312 minutes of reading across 750 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bel Ami section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Bel Ami 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 Bel Ami, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
