Chapter 4 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?” “Not for worlds. Besides we can’t. We’re paralysed. We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.
Chapter 4 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading “Besides we can’t.”
chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another
From this reading “We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.”
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading ““Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?””
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading ““Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?””
in a manner accessible to or observable by the public; openly
From this reading “We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.”
made afraid
From this reading “We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.”
move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading “We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.”
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading ““Not for worlds.”
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 We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides we can’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Besides we can’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?”
chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another
From this reading We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading “Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Not for worlds.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?”
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not for worlds.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’re paralysed.
in a manner accessible to or observable by the public; openly
From this reading We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.
made afraid
From this reading We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?”
move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading We exchange a long scared look, we publicly tremble.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’re paralysed.
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “Not for worlds.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Then don’t you think we ought to follow him?”
Chapter 4 of The Ambassadors by Henry James holds 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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.
Chapter 4 holds 227 sentences of The Ambassadors, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Ambassadors by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 The Ambassadors by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9031 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #432, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1807 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ambassadors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Ambassadors 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 The Ambassadors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
