Chapter 4 of Boris Lensky is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Boris Lensky is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law. "No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing. "I know her better than you. I usually succeed quickly in calming her. She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
Chapter 4 of Boris Lensky is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading “She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.”
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “"Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.”
a brother by marriage
From this reading “"Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.”
the act of appeasing (as by acceding to the demands of)
From this reading “I usually succeed quickly in calming her.”
third-person singular of “deserve” — be worthy or deserving
From this reading “She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “"No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing.”
-ing form of “prevent” — keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading “"No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing.”
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading “I usually succeed quickly in calming her.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.”
keep under careful scrutiny
In this reading “"Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.”
move upward
In this reading “"Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.”
In this reading “She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
anew
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading "No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "I know her better than you.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
a brother by marriage
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
the act of appeasing (as by acceding to the demands of)
From this reading I usually succeed quickly in calming her.
in a cajoling manner
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
third-person singular of “deserve” — be worthy or deserving
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading "No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I usually succeed quickly in calming her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I know her better than you.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
by chance
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
-ing form of “prevent” — keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading "No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing.
with speed
From this reading I usually succeed quickly in calming her.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "No, no, aunt, let me go," says Colia, hastily preventing.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
not in physical motion
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading I usually succeed quickly in calming her.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "I know her better than you.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Shall I perhaps go up and look after her?" asks Madame Jeliagin, coaxingly, of her brother-in-law.
under normal conditions
From this reading I usually succeed quickly in calming her.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading She really deserves to stay in her room, and she will be ashamed to come down again; but if you will let me, I still will bring her.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I know her better than you.
Chapter 4 of Boris Lensky by Ossip Schubin holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Boris Lensky, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Boris Lensky by Ossip Schubin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Boris Lensky by Ossip Schubin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5128 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35491 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35491, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 427 minutes of reading across 1026 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Boris Lensky section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Boris Lensky 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 Boris Lensky, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
