Chapter 4 of English Verse is here in full — 330 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of English Verse is here in full — 330 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
(MILTON: _Psalm vi._ 1653.) Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour! Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die. (COLERIDGE: _To a Friend._ ab. 1795.)
Chapter 4 of English Verse is here in full — 330 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/66 · 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.
lacking definite form or limits
From this reading “Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!”
English romantic poet (1772-1834)
From this reading “(COLERIDGE: _To a Friend._ ab.”
possessive form of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.”
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading “Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.”
the immediate descendants of a person
From this reading “Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!”
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading “Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!”
one of the 150 lyrical poems and prayers that comprise the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament; said to have been written by David
unhealthy looking
From this reading “Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!”
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 “Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (MILTON: _Psalm vi._ 1653.)
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1795.)
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
a bachelor's degree in arts and sciences
From this reading (COLERIDGE: _To a Friend._ ab.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
lacking definite form or limits
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
English romantic poet (1772-1834)
From this reading (COLERIDGE: _To a Friend._ ab.
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
possessive form of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading (COLERIDGE: _To a Friend._ ab.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
in a nasty ill-tempered manner
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
English poet; remembered primarily as the author of an epic poem describing humanity's fall from grace (1608-1674)
From this reading (MILTON: _Psalm vi._ 1653.)
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
the immediate descendants of a person
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
possession of controlling influence
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
one of the 150 lyrical poems and prayers that comprise the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament; said to have been written by David
From this reading (MILTON: _Psalm vi._ 1653.)
unhealthy looking
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Away, those cloudy looks, that lab'ring sigh, The peevish offspring of a sickly hour!
plural of “throw” — the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist)
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading (COLERIDGE: _To a Friend._ ab.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading (MILTON: _Psalm vi._ 1653.)
at the time that
From this reading Nor meanly thus complain of fortune's power, When the blind gamester throws a luckless die.
Chapter 4 of English Verse by Raymond MacDonald Alden holds 330 sentences, grouped into 66 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 330 sentences of English Verse, unabridged, divided into 66 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of English Verse by Raymond MacDonald Alden exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 330 sentences, grouped into 66 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 66 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 66 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 English Verse by Raymond MacDonald Alden on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5323 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32262 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32262, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 443 minutes of reading across 1065 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through English Verse section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of English Verse 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 English Verse, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
