Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Literary Friends and Acquaintance
Literary Friends and Acquaintance

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Literary Friends and Acquaintance is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Literary Friends and Acquaintance
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.
He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.
He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.
By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.
I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.
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.

Literary Friends and Acquaintance

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Literary Friends and Acquaintance is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.
/ðer ɪz ɡreɪt ˌɪnɪˈkwɑːləti ɪn hɪz wɜːrk ənd aɪ felt ðɪs soʊ ˈstrɔːŋli ðæt wen aɪ keɪm tuː hæv fʊl tʃɑːrdʒ ʌv ðə ˈmæɡəziːn aɪ ˈventʃərd wʌns tuː dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/
Line 2
He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.
Line 3
He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.
Line 4
By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.
/baɪ ðɪs taɪm aɪ pərˈsiːvd ðæt aɪ hæd bɪn rɔːŋ nɑːt æz tuː ðə ˈpoʊəm rɪˈtɜːrnd bʌt æz tuː maɪ ˈfʌŋkʃən rɪˈɡɑːrdɪŋ hɪm ənd sʌtʃ æz hiː/
Line 5
I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.
/aɪ hæd meɪd maɪ rɪˈflekʃənz ənd ˈnevər əˈɡen dɪd aɪ ˈventʃər tuː pæs əˈpɑːn wʌt kənˈtrɪbjətərz ʌv hɪz ˈkwɑːləti sent miː/

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.

contributors noun US /kənˈtrɪbjətərz/

plural of “contributor” — someone who contributes (or promises to contribute) a sum of money

From this reading “I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.”

distinguish verb US /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/

mark as different

From this reading “There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.”

function noun US /ˈfʌŋkʃən/

(mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)

From this reading “By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.”

inequality noun US /ˌɪnɪˈkwɑːləti/

lack of equality

From this reading “There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.”

Magazine noun US /ˈmæɡəziːn/

a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it

From this reading “There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.”

reflections noun US /rɪˈflekʃənz/

plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration

From this reading “I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.”

refrained verb US /rɪˈfreɪnd/

past form of “refrain” — resist doing something

From this reading “He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.”

temerity noun US /təˈmerəti/

fearless daring

From this reading “He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.”

All words in this reading · 76

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 He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

begverbUS /beɡ/

call upon in supplication; entreat

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

chargeverbUS /tʃɑːrdʒ/

to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

contributorsnounUS /kənˈtrɪbjətərz/

plural of “contributor” — someone who contributes (or promises to contribute) a sum of money

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

distinguishverbUS /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/

mark as different

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

else

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

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

elsewhereadverbUS /ˈelswer/

in or to another place

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

functionnounUS /ˈfʌŋkʃən/

(mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

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

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

inequalitynounUS /ˌɪnɪˈkwɑːləti/

lack of equality

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

MagazinenounUS /ˈmæɡəziːn/

a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

magnanimouslyadverb

in a magnanimous manner

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

offencenoun

the action of attacking an enemy

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

passverbUS /pæs/

go across or through

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

perceivedadjectiveUS /pərˈsiːvd/

detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

poemnounUS /ˈpoʊəm/

a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

printedverbUS /ˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “print” — put into print

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

qualitynounUS /ˈkwɑːləti/

an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

reflectionsnounUS /rɪˈflekʃənz/

plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

refrainedverbUS /rɪˈfreɪnd/

past form of “refrain” — resist doing something

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

regardingverbUS /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪŋ/

-ing form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

returnedverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrnd/

past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

sentnounUS /sent/

100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

showverbUS /ʃoʊ/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

stronglyadverbUS /ˈstrɔːŋli/

with strength or in a strong manner

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

temeritynounUS /təˈmerəti/

fearless daring

From this reading He sent me a poem, and I had the temerity to return it, and beg him for something else.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

venturenounUS /ˈventʃər/

any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

venturedverbUS /ˈventʃərd/

past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading I had made my reflections, and never again did I venture to pass upon what contributors of his quality sent me.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading He magnanimously refrained from all show of offence, and after a while, when he had printed the poem elsewhere, he gave me another.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading There is great inequality in his work, and I felt this so strongly that when I came to have full charge of the Magazine, I ventured once to distinguish.

wrongadjectiveUS /rɔːŋ/

not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth

From this reading By this time, I perceived that I had been wrong, not as to the poem returned, but as to my function regarding him and such as he.

Chapter 4 of Literary Friends and Acquaintance by William Dean Howells holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 Literary Friends and Acquaintance contain?

Chapter 4 holds 411 sentences of Literary Friends and Acquaintance, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Literary Friends and Acquaintance by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 Literary Friends and Acquaintance?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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 Literary Friends and Acquaintance

Common questions about reading Literary Friends and Acquaintance by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Literary Friends and Acquaintance?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Literary Friends and Acquaintance is used?

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

How long does Literary Friends and Acquaintance take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Literary Friends and Acquaintance section by section

How to work through Literary Friends and Acquaintance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of Literary Friends and Acquaintance 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 Literary Friends and Acquaintance

Words and structures a reader meets early in Literary Friends and Acquaintance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Literary Friends and Acquaintance, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Literary Friends and Acquaintance, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Literary Friends and Acquaintance, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.