Chapter IV
Chapter 4
Chapter 4 of Heartbreak House is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ELLIE. Nobody knows. Just fancy! He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE. A what?
Heartbreak House
Chapter IV · Chapter 4
Chapter 4 of Heartbreak House is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
ELLIE.
Nobody
knows.
Just
fancy!
He
was
found
in
an
antique
chest--
MRS
HUSHABYE.
A
what?
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Heartbreak House
Chapter IV · Chapter 4
Chapter 4 of Heartbreak House is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
ELLIE.
Line 2
Nobody
knows.
/ˈnoʊbɑːdiː noʊz/
Line 3
Just
fancy!
/dʒʌst ˈfænsi/
Line 4
He
was
found
in
an
antique
chest--
MRS
HUSHABYE.
Line 5
A
what?
/ə wʌt/
Learner Dictionary
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.
antique
adjective
US /ænˈtiːk/
made in or typical of earlier times and valued for its age
From this reading “He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.”
chest
noun
US /tʃest/
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading “He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.”
fancy
noun
US /ˈfænsi/
something many people believe that is false
From this reading “Just fancy!”
found
verb
US /faʊnd/
set up or found
From this reading “He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.”
knows
noun
US /noʊz/
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading “Nobody knows.”
mrs
noun
US /ˈmɪsɪz/
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.”
Nobody
pronoun
US /ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/
no person; not anyone
From this reading “Nobody knows.”
All words in this reading · 16
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.
AdeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A what?
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.
antiqueadjectiveUS /ænˈtiːk/
made in or typical of earlier times and valued for its age
From this reading He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.
chestnounUS /tʃest/
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.
ELLIE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ELLIE.
fancynounUS /ˈfænsi/
something many people believe that is false
From this reading Just fancy!
foundverbUS /faʊnd/
set up or found
From this reading He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.
HUSHABYE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.
JustadverbUS /dʒʌst/
and nothing more
From this reading Just fancy!
knowsnounUS /noʊz/
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Nobody knows.
MRSnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.
NobodypronounUS /ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody knows.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was found in an antique chest-- MRS HUSHABYE.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading A what?
Chapter 4 of Heartbreak House by Bernard Shaw holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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.
What does chapter 4 of Heartbreak House contain?
Chapter 4 holds 425 sentences of Heartbreak House, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Heartbreak House by Bernard Shaw exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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.
How do I study chapter 4 of Heartbreak House?
Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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.
Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?
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.
Questions about reading Heartbreak House
Common questions about reading Heartbreak House by Bernard Shaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Heartbreak House?
Yes. All 2912 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3543 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Heartbreak House is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #3543, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Heartbreak House take to read?
About 242 minutes of reading across 583 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Heartbreak House section by section
How to work through Heartbreak House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Heartbreak House to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Heartbreak House
Words and structures a reader meets early in Heartbreak House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Heartbreak
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Heartbreak House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- House
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Heartbreak House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Merely
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Heartbreak House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Follows
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Heartbreak House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.