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Jack Sheppard: A Romance
Jack Sheppard: A Romance

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Jack Sheppard: A Romance is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Jack Sheppard: A Romance
Context Illustration Reading 1/78 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Denunciation.
For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.
She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.
"Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.
I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Jack Sheppard: A Romance

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Jack Sheppard: A Romance is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Denunciation.
/ðə dɪˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/
Line 2
For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.
Line 3
She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.
/ʃiː ðen draɪd hɜːr aɪz ənd ˈleɪɪŋ hɜːr tʃaɪld ˈdʒentli əˈpɑːn ðə flɔːr nelt daʊn bɪˈsaɪd hɪm/
Line 4
"Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.
/ˈoʊ.pən maɪ hɑːrt ˈfɑːðər ʌv ˈmɜːrsi ʃiː ˈmɜːrmərd ɪn ə ˈhʌmbəl toʊn ənd wɪð ˈdaʊnkæst lʊks ənd meɪk miː ˈsensəbəl ʌv ðə ˈerər ʌv maɪ weɪz/
Line 5
I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.
/aɪ hæv sɪnd ˈdiːpli bʌt aɪ hæv bɪn ˈsɔːrli traɪd/

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.

Denunciation noun US /dɪˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/

a public act of denouncing

From this reading “The Denunciation.”

dissolved adjective US /dɪˈzɑːlvd/

(of solid matter) reduced to a liquid form

From this reading “For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.”

downcast adjective US /ˈdaʊnkæst/

directed downward

From this reading “"Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.”

dried adjective US /draɪd/

not still wet

From this reading “She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.”

error noun US /ˈerər/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading “"Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.”

knelt verb US /nelt/

inflected form of “kneel” — rest one's weight on one's knees

From this reading “She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.”

sinned verb US /sɪnd/

inflected form of “sin” — commit a sin; violate a law of God or a moral law

From this reading “I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.”

sorely adverb US /ˈsɔːrli/

to a great degree

From this reading “I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.”

All words in this reading · 52

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 For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

deeplyadverbUS /ˈdiːpli/

to a great depth psychologically or emotionally

From this reading I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.

DenunciationnounUS /dɪˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/

a public act of denouncing

From this reading The Denunciation.

dissolvedadjectiveUS /dɪˈzɑːlvd/

(of solid matter) reduced to a liquid form

From this reading For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

downcastadjectiveUS /ˈdaʊnkæst/

directed downward

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

driedadjectiveUS /draɪd/

not still wet

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

errornounUS /ˈerər/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

FathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.

gentlyadverbUS /ˈdʒentli/

in a gradual manner

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

humbleadjectiveUS /ˈhʌmbəl/

low or inferior in station or quality

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.

kneltverbUS /nelt/

inflected form of “kneel” — rest one's weight on one's knees

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

layingnounUS /ˈleɪɪŋ/

the production of eggs (especially in birds)

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

looksnounUS /lʊks/

plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

MercynounUS /ˈmɜːrsi/

leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.

murmuredverbUS /ˈmɜːrmərd/

past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

OpenverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.

sensibleadjectiveUS /ˈsensəbəl/

showing reason or sound judgment

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

Sheppard

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

From this reading For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

From this reading For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.

sinnedverbUS /sɪnd/

inflected form of “sin” — commit a sin; violate a law of God or a moral law

From this reading I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.

sorelyadverbUS /ˈsɔːrli/

to a great degree

From this reading I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.

spacenounUS /speɪs/

the unlimited expanse in which everything is located

From this reading For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.

tearsnounUS /terz/

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading For a short space, Mrs. Sheppard remained dissolved in tears.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Denunciation.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

tonenounUS /toʊn/

the quality of a person's voice

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading I have sinned deeply; but I have been sorely tried.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading She then dried her eyes, and laying her child gently upon the floor, knelt down beside him.

waysnounUS /weɪz/

structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Open my heart, Father of Mercy!" she murmured, in a humble tone, and with downcast looks, "and make me sensible of the error of my ways.

Chapter 4 of Jack Sheppard: A Romance by William Harrison Ainsworth holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 Jack Sheppard: A Romance contain?

Chapter 4 holds 390 sentences of Jack Sheppard: A Romance, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Jack Sheppard: A Romance by William Harrison Ainsworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 Jack Sheppard: A Romance?

Work through the 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 78 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 Jack Sheppard: A Romance

Common questions about reading Jack Sheppard: A Romance by William Harrison Ainsworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Jack Sheppard: A Romance?

Yes. All 9404 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16215 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Jack Sheppard: A Romance is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #16215, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Jack Sheppard: A Romance take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Jack Sheppard: A Romance section by section

How to work through Jack Sheppard: A Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  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 Jack Sheppard: A Romance

Words and structures a reader meets early in Jack Sheppard: A Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Widow
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Jack Sheppard: A Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Child
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Jack Sheppard: A Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Night
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Jack Sheppard: A Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Friday
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Jack Sheppard: A Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.