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Mr. Fortune's Practice
Mr. Fortune's Practice

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Mr. Fortune's Practice is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Mr. Fortune's Practice
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Oh Lord, yes.
Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.
But business is business.”
Sir Brian?”
Bell gasped.
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.

Mr. Fortune's Practice

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Mr. Fortune's Practice is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Oh Lord, yes.
/oʊ lɔːrd jes/
Line 2
Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.
Line 3
But business is business.”
/bʌt ˈbɪznəs ɪz ˈbɪznəs/
Line 4
Sir Brian?”
Line 5
Bell gasped.
/bel ɡæspt/

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.

Bell noun US /bel/

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading “Bell gasped.”

business noun US /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading “But business is business.””

gasped verb US /ɡæspt/

past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted

From this reading “Bell gasped.”

humane adjective US /hjuːˈmeɪn/

pertaining to or concerned with the humanities

From this reading “Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.”

Lord noun US /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading ““Oh Lord, yes.”

quite adverb US /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading “Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.”

Sir noun US /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading “Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.”

yes noun US /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading ““Oh Lord, yes.”

All words in this reading · 15

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 Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.

BellnounUS /bel/

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading Bell gasped.

Brian

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

From this reading “Sir Brian?”

Brian's

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

From this reading Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.

businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading But business is business.”

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But business is business.”

gaspedverbUS /ɡæspt/

past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted

From this reading Bell gasped.

humaneadjectiveUS /hjuːˈmeɪn/

pertaining to or concerned with the humanities

From this reading Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading But business is business.”

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading “Oh Lord, yes.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading “Oh Lord, yes.

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.

SirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading Sir Brian’s quite a humane man.

yesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading “Oh Lord, yes.

Chapter 4 of Mr. Fortune's Practice by H. C. (Henry Christopher) Bailey holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 Mr. Fortune's Practice contain?

Chapter 4 holds 424 sentences of Mr. Fortune's Practice, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Mr. Fortune's Practice by H. C. (Henry Christopher) Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 Mr. Fortune's Practice?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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 Mr. Fortune's Practice

Common questions about reading Mr. Fortune's Practice by H. C. (Henry Christopher) Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Mr. Fortune's Practice?

Yes. All 5015 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60096 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Mr. Fortune's Practice is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #60096, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Mr. Fortune's Practice take to read?

About 417 minutes of reading across 1003 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Mr. Fortune's Practice section by section

How to work through Mr. Fortune's Practice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of Mr. Fortune's Practice 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 Mr. Fortune's Practice

Words and structures a reader meets early in Mr. Fortune's Practice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Nothing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mr. Fortune's Practice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Doing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mr. Fortune's Practice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Medical
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mr. Fortune's Practice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
History
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mr. Fortune's Practice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.