Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art
Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art
Context Illustration Reading 1/52 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LONDON, January 15, O.
S.
1748.
DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.
That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.
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.

Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/52 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LONDON, January 15, O.
Line 2
S.
/es/
Line 3
1748.
Line 4
DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.
Line 5
That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.
/ðæt dɪˈpendz ɪnˈtaɪərli əˈpɑːn juː ənd ˈðerfɔːr aɪ hoʊp tuː biː priˈzentɪd ˈevəri jɪr wɪð ə nuː əˈdɪʃən ʌv juː mɔːr kərˈekt ðæn ðə ˈfɔːrmər ənd kənˈsɪdərəbli ˌenˈlɑːrdʒd ənd əˈmendɪd/

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.

amended adjective US /əˈmendɪd/

of legislation

From this reading “That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.”

considerably adverb US /kənˈsɪdərəbli/

to a great extent or degree

From this reading “That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.”

depends verb US /dɪˈpendz/

third-person singular of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)

From this reading “That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.”

edition noun US /əˈdɪʃən/

the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published

From this reading “That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.”

enlarged adjective US /ˌenˈlɑːrdʒd/

(of an organ or body part) excessively enlarged as a result of increased size in the constituent cells

From this reading “That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.”

January noun US /ˈdʒænjuːeri/

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

From this reading “LONDON, January 15, O.”

thankful adjective US /ˈθæŋkfəl/

feeling or showing gratitude

From this reading “DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.”

willingly adverb US /ˈwɪlɪŋli/

in a willing manner

From this reading “DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

15

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

From this reading LONDON, January 15, O.

1748

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

From this reading 1748.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

acceptverbUS /ækˈsept/

consider or hold as true

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

amendedadjectiveUS /əˈmendɪd/

of legislation

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

BOYnounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

considerablyadverbUS /kənˈsɪdərəbli/

to a great extent or degree

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

correctverbUS /kərˈekt/

make right or correct

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

dependsverbUS /dɪˈpendz/

third-person singular of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

editionnounUS /əˈdɪʃən/

the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

enlargedadjectiveUS /ˌenˈlɑːrdʒd/

(of an organ or body part) excessively enlarged as a result of increased size in the constituent cells

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

entirelyadverbUS /ɪnˈtaɪərli/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

formeradjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrmər/

referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

giftnounUS /ɡɪft/

something acquired without compensation

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

JanuarynounUS /ˈdʒænjuːeri/

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

From this reading LONDON, January 15, O.

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 15, O.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

new-year's

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

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

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 15, O.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

presentedverbUS /priˈzentɪd/

past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

promiseverbUS /ˈprɑːməs/

make a promise or commitment

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

SnounUS /es/

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

From this reading S.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

thankfuladjectiveUS /ˈθæŋkfəl/

feeling or showing gratitude

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

thereforeadverbUS /ˈðerfɔːr/

for that reason; as a result

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

valuableadjectiveUS /ˈvæljəbəl/

having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

willinglyadverbUS /ˈwɪlɪŋli/

in a willing manner

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading That depends entirely upon you; and therefore I hope to be presented, every year, with a new edition of you, more correct than the former, and considerably enlarged and amended.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading DEAR BOY: I willingly accept the new-year's gift which you promise me for next year; and the more valuable you make it, the more thankful I shall be.

Chapter 4 of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield holds 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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, Complete On the Fine Art contain?

Chapter 4 holds 260 sentences of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art?

Work through the 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 52 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 Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art

Common questions about reading Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art?

Yes. All 10351 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3361 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3361, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2071 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art section by section

How to work through Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art 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 Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art

Words and structures a reader meets early in Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

October
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Distresses
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Journey
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Heidelberg
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.