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My Discovery of England
My Discovery of England

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of My Discovery of England is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/89 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.
By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.
And all over the world capital is frightened.
It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.
There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

My Discovery of England

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of My Discovery of England is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/89 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.
/ðə wɜːrld ɪz aʊt ʌv wɜːrk fɔːr ðə ˈsɪmpəl ˈriːzən ðæt ðə wɜːrld hæz kɪld ðə ɡuːs ðæt leɪd ðə ˈɡoʊldən eɡz ʌv ˈɪndəstri/
Line 2
By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.
Line 3
And all over the world capital is frightened.
/ənd ɔːl ˈoʊvər ðə wɜːrld ˈkæpətəl ɪz ˈfraɪtənd/
Line 4
It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.
/ɪt ɡoʊz ənd haɪdz ˌɪtˈself ɪn ðə fɔːrm ʌv æn ˌɪnˈvestmənt ɪn ə ˈvɪktəri bɑːnd ə θɪŋ ðæt ɪz ˈoʊnli ə pərˈtɪkjələr neɪm fɔːr ə det wɪð noʊ prəˈdʌktɪv ˈefərt bɪˈhaɪnd ɪt ənd ˈɪndəkeɪtɪŋ ˈoʊnli ə ded weɪt ʌv ˈtæksəz/
Line 5
There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.

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.

budge verb US /bʌdʒ/

move very slightly

From this reading “There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.”

capitalist noun US /ˈkæpətəlɪst/

a conservative advocate of capitalism

From this reading “By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.”

indicating verb US /ˈɪndəkeɪtɪŋ/

-ing form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of

From this reading “It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.”

investment noun US /ˌɪnˈvestmənt/

the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit

From this reading “It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.”

legislation noun US /ˌledʒəˈsleɪʃən/

law enacted by a legislative body

From this reading “By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.”

productive adjective US /prəˈdʌktɪv/

producing or capable of producing (especially abundantly)

From this reading “It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.”

taxation noun US /tækˈseɪʃən/

charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government

From this reading “By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.”

taxes noun US /ˈtæksəz/

plural of “tax” — charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government

From this reading “It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

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 By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And all over the world capital is frightened.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

bondnounUS /bɑːnd/

an electrical force linking atoms

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

budgeverbUS /bʌdʒ/

move very slightly

From this reading There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.

bull-frog

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

From this reading There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

capitalnounUS /ˈkæpətəl/

assets available for use in the production of further assets

From this reading And all over the world capital is frightened.

capitalistnounUS /ˈkæpətəlɪst/

a conservative advocate of capitalism

From this reading By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

debtnounUS /det/

the state of owing something (especially money)

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

disparagementnoun

a communication that belittles somebody or something

From this reading By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

effortnounUS /ˈefərt/

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

eggsnounUS /eɡz/

oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

formnounUS /fɔːrm/

the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

frightenedadjectiveUS /ˈfraɪtənd/

made afraid

From this reading And all over the world capital is frightened.

goesnounUS /ɡoʊz/

plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

goldenadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊldən/

having the deep slightly brownish color of gold

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

goosenounUS /ɡuːs/

web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

hiddenadjectiveUS /ˈhɪdən/

not accessible to view

From this reading There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.

hidesnounUS /haɪdz/

plural of “hide” — the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

indicatingverbUS /ˈɪndəkeɪtɪŋ/

-ing form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

industrynounUS /ˈɪndəstri/

the people or companies engaged in a particular kind of commercial enterprise

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

investmentnounUS /ˌɪnˈvestmənt/

the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

killedverbUS /kɪld/

past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/

set down according to a plan

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

legislationnounUS /ˌledʒəˈsleɪʃən/

law enacted by a legislative body

From this reading By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

particularadjectiveUS /pərˈtɪkjələr/

unique or specific to a person or thing or category

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

popularadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːpjələr/

regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public

From this reading By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

productiveadjectiveUS /prəˈdʌktɪv/

producing or capable of producing (especially abundantly)

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

reasonnounUS /ˈriːzən/

a rational motive for a belief or action

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

refusingverbUS /rəˈfjuːzɪŋ/

-ing form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards

From this reading There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.

sentimentnounUS /ˈsentəmənt/

tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion

From this reading By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

simpleadjectiveUS /ˈsɪmpəl/

having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

sitsverbUS /sɪts/

third-person singular of “sit” — be seated

From this reading There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.

taxationnounUS /tækˈseɪʃən/

charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government

From this reading By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

taxesnounUS /ˈtæksəz/

plural of “tax” — charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading By taxation, by legislation, by popular sentiment all over the world, there has been a disparagement of the capitalist.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.

victorynounUS /ˈvɪktəri/

a successful ending of a struggle or contest

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

water-lilies

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

From this reading There capital sits like a bull-frog hidden behind water-lilies, refusing to budge.

weightnounUS /weɪt/

the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It goes and hides itself in the form of an investment in a victory bond, a thing that is only a particular name for a debt, with no productive effort behind it and indicating only a dead weight of taxes.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

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

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading The world is out of work for the simple reason that the world has killed the goose that laid the golden eggs of industry.

Chapter 4 of My Discovery of England by Stephen Leacock holds 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 My Discovery of England contain?

Chapter 4 holds 445 sentences of My Discovery of England, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of My Discovery of England by Stephen Leacock exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 My Discovery of England?

Work through the 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 89 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 My Discovery of England

Common questions about reading My Discovery of England by Stephen Leacock on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of My Discovery of England?

Yes. All 2243 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3532 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of My Discovery of England is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3532, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does My Discovery of England take to read?

About 186 minutes of reading across 449 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read My Discovery of England section by section

How to work through My Discovery of England section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of My Discovery of England 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 My Discovery of England

Words and structures a reader meets early in My Discovery of England, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Introduction
A word that appears in the opening chapter of My Discovery of England; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stephen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of My Discovery of England; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Leacock
A word that appears in the opening chapter of My Discovery of England; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Given
A word that appears in the opening chapter of My Discovery of England; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.