Letters to His Son, 1750 On the Fine Art of

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Letters to His Son, 1750 On the Fine Art of is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield • Curated US English Learning Edition

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LONDON, January 25, O. S.

1750 MY DEAR FRIEND: It is so long since I have heard from you, that I suppose Rome engrosses every moment of your time; and if it engrosses it in the manner I could wish, I willingly give up my share of it.

I would rather 'prodesse quam conspici'.

Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/8

Letters to His Son, 1750 On the Fine Art of Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

Chapter IV

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Letters to His Son, 1750 On the Fine Art of is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

LONDON, January 25, O. S. 1750 MY DEAR FRIEND: It is so long since I have heard from you, that I suppose Rome engrosses every moment of your time; and if it engrosses it in the manner I could wish, I willingly give up my share of it. I would rather 'prodesse quam conspici'. Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it. Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

Letters to His Son, 1750 On the Fine Art of

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Letters to His Son, 1750 On the Fine Art of is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/8 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

LONDON, January 25, O. S.

Line 2

Line 3

I would rather 'prodesse quam conspici'.

Line 4

Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

/pʊt aʊt jɔːr taɪm bʌt tuː ɡʊd ˈɪntrəst ənd aɪ duː nɑːt dɪˈzaɪər tuː ˈbɑːroʊ mʌtʃ ʌv ɪt/

Line 5

Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

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.

amusements noun US /əˈmjuːzmənts/

plural of “amusement” — a feeling of delight at being entertained

From this reading “Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.”

antiquity noun US /ænˈtɪkwəti/

the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe

From this reading “Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.”

borrow verb US /ˈbɑːroʊ/

get temporarily

From this reading “Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.”

January noun US /ˈdʒænjuːeri/

the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice

From this reading “LONDON, January 25, O. S.”

remains noun US /rɪˈmeɪnz/

any object that is left unused or still extant

From this reading “Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.”

respectable adjective US /rɪˈspektəbəl/

characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals

From this reading “Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.”

studies noun US /ˈstʌdiz/

plural of “study” — a detailed critical inspection

From this reading “Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.”

willingly adverb US /ˈwɪlɪŋli/

in a willing manner

From this reading “1750 MY DEAR FRIEND: It is so long since I have heard from you, that I suppose Rome engrosses every moment of your time; and if it engrosses it in the manner I could wish, I willingly give up my share of it.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

1750

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

From this reading 1750 MY DEAR FRIEND: It is so long since I have heard from you, that I suppose Rome engrosses every moment of your time; and if it engrosses it in the manner I could wish, I willingly give up my share of it.

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

From this reading LONDON, January 25, O. S.

amusementsnounUS /əˈmjuːzmənts/

plural of “amusement” — a feeling of delight at being entertained

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

antiquitynounUS /ænˈtɪkwəti/

the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

borrowverbUS /ˈbɑːroʊ/

get temporarily

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

cannot

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

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

conspici

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

From this reading I would rather 'prodesse quam conspici'.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

engrosses

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

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

FRIENDnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

interestnounUS /ˈɪntrəst/

a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

JanuarynounUS /ˈdʒænjuːeri/

the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice

From this reading LONDON, January 25, O. S.

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

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 LONDON, January 25, O. S.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading LONDON, January 25, O. S.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

prodesse

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

From this reading I would rather 'prodesse quam conspici'.

PutverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

quam

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

From this reading I would rather 'prodesse quam conspici'.

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading I would rather 'prodesse quam conspici'.

remainsnounUS /rɪˈmeɪnz/

any object that is left unused or still extant

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

respectableadjectiveUS /rɪˈspektəbəl/

characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

RomenounUS /roʊm/

capital and largest city of Italy; on the Tiber; seat of the Roman Catholic Church; formerly the capital of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire

SnounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading LONDON, January 25, O. S.

shareverbUS /ʃer/

have in common

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

studiesnounUS /ˈstʌdiz/

plural of “study” — a detailed critical inspection

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

supposeverbUS /səˈpoʊz/

express a supposition

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Put out your time, but to good interest; and I do not desire to borrow much of it.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

willinglyadverbUS /ˈwɪlɪŋli/

in a willing manner

wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading I would rather 'prodesse quam conspici'.

writeverbUS /raɪt/

produce a literary work

From this reading Your studies, the respectable remains of antiquity, and your evening amusements cannot, and indeed ought not, to leave you much time to write.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

Chapter 4 of Letters to His Son, 1750 On the Fine Art of by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield holds 43 sentences, grouped into 9 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.

What does chapter 4 of Letters to His Son, 1750 On the Fine Art of contain?

Chapter 4 holds 43 sentences of Letters to His Son, 1750 On the Fine Art of, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Letters to His Son, 1750 On the Fine Art of by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 43 sentences, grouped into 9 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.

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Work through the 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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Chapter IV · Chapter 4

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