Chapter 4 of The Awkward Age is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Awkward Age is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Send her to Mr. Mitchett?” Mrs. Brookenham unresentfully quavered. Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice. “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?” The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
Chapter 4 of The Awkward Age is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
A willingness to take bold risks; insolent and daring boldness that defies all authority.
From this reading “The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.”
of persons; not subject to change
From this reading “The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.”
on a floor below
From this reading ““How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?””
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading “The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.”
the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
From this reading “Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.”
expressing sorrow
From this reading “The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.”
past form of “quaver” — give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency
From this reading “Mrs. Brookenham unresentfully quavered.”
possessive form of “visitor” — someone who visits
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.
the state of being absent
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
speak to
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
A willingness to take bold risks; insolent and daring boldness that defies all authority.
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Brookenham unresentfully quavered.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
of persons; not subject to change
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?”
on a floor below
From this reading “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?”
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Send her to Mr. Mitchett?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Send her to Mr. Mitchett?”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Send her to Mr. Mitchett?”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Brookenham unresentfully quavered.
not any; not one
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
expressing sorrow
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
past form of “quaver” — give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency
From this reading Mrs. Brookenham unresentfully quavered.
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading “Send her to Mr. Mitchett?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Send her to Mr. Mitchett?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Brookenham unresentfully quavered.
possessive form of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her colour, during her visitor’s address had distinctly risen, but there was no irritation in her voice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Duchess looked at her with an audacity confirmed by the absence from her face of everything but the plaintive.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “How do you know, Jane, that I don’t want her downstairs?”
Chapter 4 of The Awkward Age by Henry James holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of The Awkward Age, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Awkward Age by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Awkward Age by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10141 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7433 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7433, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2029 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Awkward Age section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Awkward Age 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 Awkward Age, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
