Chapter 4 of Russian essays and stories is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Russian essays and stories is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And I say such enchanting and unceasing amusement. If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!” “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy. They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.” “That they were the simplest wooden chairs bought at a second-hand shop!”
Chapter 4 of Russian essays and stories is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining
From this reading “If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!””
a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement
From this reading ““Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.”
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.””
capturing interest as if by a spell
From this reading ““And I say such enchanting and unceasing amusement.”
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading ““Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.”
superlative of “simple” — having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading ““That they were the simplest wooden chairs bought at a second-hand shop!””
experiencing intense pain especially mental pain
From this reading ““Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.”
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading ““And I say such enchanting and unceasing amusement.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading ““That they were the simplest wooden chairs bought at a second-hand shop!””
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “That they were the simplest wooden chairs bought at a second-hand shop!”
(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 They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading “And I say such enchanting and unceasing amusement.
providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining
From this reading If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And I say such enchanting and unceasing amusement.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “That they were the simplest wooden chairs bought at a second-hand shop!”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
capturing interest as if by a spell
From this reading “And I say such enchanting and unceasing amusement.
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
coins made of gold
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “And I say such enchanting and unceasing amusement.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
express in words
From this reading “And I say such enchanting and unceasing amusement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That they were the simplest wooden chairs bought at a second-hand shop!”
do one's shopping
From this reading “That they were the simplest wooden chairs bought at a second-hand shop!”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!”
superlative of “simple” — having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading “That they were the simplest wooden chairs bought at a second-hand shop!”
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “And I say such enchanting and unceasing amusement.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!”
experiencing intense pain especially mental pain
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading “And I say such enchanting and unceasing amusement.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading If this is not amusing I should like to know what is amusing!”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
which person or people
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Stop; it is useless arguing with people who are tormented by envy.
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading “That they were the simplest wooden chairs bought at a second-hand shop!”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading They will say to you, that the chairs on which we are sitting were not of gold at all.”
Chapter 4 of Russian essays and stories by Maurice Baring holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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.
Chapter 4 holds 427 sentences of Russian essays and stories, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Russian essays and stories by Maurice Baring exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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.
Work through the 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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.
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.
Common questions about reading Russian essays and stories by Maurice Baring on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76718 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76718, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 214 minutes of reading across 515 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Russian essays and stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Russian essays and stories to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Russian essays and stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
