Chapter 4 of The Beautiful Wretch is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Beautiful Wretch is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SAME. Nan was growing desperate. Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance. So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?' 'Oh, dear no,' he said.
Chapter 4 of The Beautiful Wretch is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
-ing form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading “Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.”
plural of “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading “So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'”
completely happy and contented
From this reading “Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.”
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading “Nan was growing desperate.”
your grandmother
From this reading “Nan was growing desperate.”
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.”
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading “Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.”
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading “So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'”
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 So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
-ing form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
plural of “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
completely happy and contented
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
dearly loved
From this reading 'Oh, dear no,' he said.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading Nan was growing desperate.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading Nan was growing desperate.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
your grandmother
From this reading Nan was growing desperate.
not any; not one
From this reading 'Oh, dear no,' he said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading 'Oh, dear no,' he said.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
and nothing more
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
Identical; not different.
From this reading THE SAME.
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
be seated
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
express in speech
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
express a supposition
From this reading So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SAME.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Speak she must, if only to let him know that she was sensible of his kindness in affording her this blissful relief; for she believed it was entirely on her account that he had proposed to sit out the dance.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nan was growing desperate.
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading So she said, wildly, 'You go to a great many balls, I suppose?'
Chapter 4 of The Beautiful Wretch by William Black holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 100 sentences of The Beautiful Wretch, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Beautiful Wretch by William Black exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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.
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Yes. All 4890 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24094 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24094, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 407 minutes of reading across 978 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Beautiful Wretch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Beautiful Wretch 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 Beautiful Wretch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
