Chapter 4 of Lady Windermere's Fan is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Lady Windermere's Fan is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LADY WINDERMERE. [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it. I cannot trust you. You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything? [_Sits down_.]
Chapter 4 of Lady Windermere's Fan is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
To consume or be consumed by fire.
From this reading “[_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.”
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading “[_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.”
past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading “[_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?”
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading “I cannot trust you.”
a fact that has been verified
From this reading “You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?”
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 You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
any thing at all
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
To consume or be consumed by fire.
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot trust you.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading [_Sits down_.]
past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading LADY WINDERMERE.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading [_Sits down_.]
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
express in speech
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading I cannot trust you.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
belonging to which person
From this reading You, whose whole life is a lie, could you speak the truth about anything?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LADY WINDERMERE.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading [_Slowly_.] You took good care to burn it before I had examined it.
Chapter 4 of Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde holds 295 sentences, grouped into 59 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 295 sentences of Lady Windermere's Fan, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1205 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #790 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #790, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 100 minutes of reading across 241 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lady Windermere's Fan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Lady Windermere's Fan 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 Lady Windermere's Fan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
