Chapter 4 of Comic Tragedies is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Comic Tragedies is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Adrian. Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me. This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent. Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest. Leonore.
Chapter 4 of Comic Tragedies is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
Roman Emperor who was the adoptive son of Trajan; travelled throughout his empire to strengthen its frontiers and encourage learning and architecture; on a visit to Britain in 122 he ordered the construction of Hadrian's Wall (76-138)
From this reading “Adrian.”
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading “This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.”
a desirable state
From this reading “Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.”
an old form of “can”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.”
permission to do something
From this reading “This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.”
a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading “This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.”
Having no name, or having a name that is kept secret or unknown.
From this reading “Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.”
lacking in value or merit
From this reading “Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.”
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.
In this reading “Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.”
In this reading “Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.”
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 Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
Roman Emperor who was the adoptive son of Trajan; travelled throughout his empire to strengthen its frontiers and encourage learning and architecture; on a visit to Britain in 122 he ordered the construction of Hadrian's Wall (76-138)
From this reading Adrian.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
a desirable state
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
an old form of “can”, used with “thou”
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
permission to do something
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
dearly loved
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
an old form of “has”
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
Having no name, or having a name that is kept secret or unknown.
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
accept an excuse for
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
express in words
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Dear lady, how can I tell thee the joy thou hast given me.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading This blessed flower from thy dear hand hath told thy pardon and consent.
lacking in value or merit
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
which person or people
From this reading Oh, Leonore, canst thou love a nameless stranger who is so unworthy the great boon thou givest.
Chapter 4 of Comic Tragedies by Louisa May Alcott holds 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 435 sentences of Comic Tragedies, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Comic Tragedies by Louisa May Alcott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Comic Tragedies by Louisa May Alcott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4770 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33986 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33986, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 397 minutes of reading across 954 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Comic Tragedies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Comic Tragedies 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 Comic Tragedies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
