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Henry Dunbar: A Novel
Henry Dunbar: A Novel

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Henry Dunbar: A Novel is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Henry Dunbar: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/60 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
SINKING THE PAST.
The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.
The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.
"He is much better," Joseph answered.
"I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Henry Dunbar: A Novel

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Henry Dunbar: A Novel is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
SINKING THE PAST.
/ˈsɪŋkɪŋ ðə pæst/
Line 2
The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.
Line 3
The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.
Line 4
"He is much better," Joseph answered.
/hiː ɪz mʌtʃ ˈbetər ˈdʒoʊsəf ˈænsərd/
Line 5
"I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

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.

clerk noun US /klɜːrk/

an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)

From this reading “The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.”

due adjective US /duː/

owed and payable immediately or on demand

From this reading “The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.”

execute verb US /ˈeksəkjuːt/

kill as a means of socially sanctioned punishment

From this reading “"I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.”

important adjective US /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt/

of great significance or value

From this reading “"I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.”

information noun US /ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/

a message received and understood

From this reading “The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.”

Joseph noun US /ˈdʒoʊsəf/

leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)

From this reading “The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.”

sinking noun US /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/

a descent as through liquid (especially through water)

From this reading “SINKING THE PAST.”

train verb US /treɪn/

create by training and teaching

From this reading “The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.”

All words in this reading · 42

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.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.

answeredverbUS /ˈænsərd/

past form of “answer” — react verbally

From this reading "He is much better," Joseph answered.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(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 "He is much better," Joseph answered.

brothernounUS /ˈbrʌðər/

a male with the same parents as someone else

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading "I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

clerknounUS /klɜːrk/

an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading "I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

dueadjectiveUS /duː/

owed and payable immediately or on demand

From this reading The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.

executeverbUS /ˈeksəkjuːt/

kill as a means of socially sanctioned punishment

From this reading "I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

gettingnounUS /ˈɡetɪŋ/

the act of acquiring something

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading "I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "He is much better," Joseph answered.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

importantadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt/

of great significance or value

From this reading "I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.

informationnounUS /ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/

a message received and understood

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "He is much better," Joseph answered.

JosephnounUS /ˈdʒoʊsəf/

leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading "He is much better," Joseph answered.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

PASTnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading SINKING THE PAST.

SINKINGnounUS /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/

a descent as through liquid (especially through water)

From this reading SINKING THE PAST.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading "I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

Southampton

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading SINKING THE PAST.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading "I am going on to Southampton to execute some important business he was to have done there.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.

trainverbUS /treɪn/

create by training and teaching

From this reading The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The train from London to Southampton was due in an hour.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

Wilmot

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clerk who gave Joseph Wilmot this information asked him how his brother was getting on.

Chapter 4 of Henry Dunbar: A Novel by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon holds 301 sentences, grouped into 61 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 Henry Dunbar: A Novel contain?

Chapter 4 holds 301 sentences of Henry Dunbar: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Henry Dunbar: A Novel by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 301 sentences, grouped into 61 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 Henry Dunbar: A Novel?

Work through the 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 61 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 Henry Dunbar: A Novel

Common questions about reading Henry Dunbar: A Novel by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Henry Dunbar: A Novel?

Yes. All 7133 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9189 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Henry Dunbar: A Novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9189, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Henry Dunbar: A Novel take to read?

About 594 minutes of reading across 1427 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Henry Dunbar: A Novel section by section

How to work through Henry Dunbar: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Henry Dunbar: A Novel to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Henry Dunbar: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in Henry Dunbar: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Margaret's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Henry Dunbar: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Father
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Henry Dunbar: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wandsworth
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Henry Dunbar: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Place
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Henry Dunbar: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.