Chapter 4 of The Blunderer is here in full — 464 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Blunderer is here in full — 464 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SCENE V.--LELIO, MASCARILLE. MASC. Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_. [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.] LEL.
Chapter 4 of The Blunderer is here in full — 464 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.
From this reading “Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.”
in a courageous manner
From this reading “Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.”
a printed note placed below the text on a printed page
From this reading “[Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]”
a person of French descent
From this reading “[Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]”
plural of “innocent” — a person who lacks knowledge of evil
plural of “legend” — a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
From this reading “[Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]”
relating to or characteristic of people of Rome
From this reading “[Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]”
someone who causes the death of a person or animal
From this reading “Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.”
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 [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
a very boastful and talkative person
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
a youthful male person
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
in a courageous manner
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
Emperor of Rome who was proclaimed emperor against his will; his reign was notable for his severe persecution of Christians (201-251)
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
cause to move by pulling
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
the male ruler of an empire
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
at any time
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
a printed note placed below the text on a printed page
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
a person of French descent
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
the head of a state government
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
plural of “innocent” — a person who lacks knowledge of evil
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
plural of “legend” — a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LEL.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SCENE V.--LELIO, MASCARILLE.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MASC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SCENE V.--LELIO, MASCARILLE.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
relating to or characteristic of people of Rome
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
the place where some action occurs
From this reading SCENE V.--LELIO, MASCARILLE.
someone who causes the death of a person or animal
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
carry out
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Take courage, my boy, may fortune ever attend us I Let us draw and bravely take the field; let us act _Olibrius, the slayer of the innocents_.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading SCENE V.--LELIO, MASCARILLE.
precisely as stated
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [Footnote: Olibrius was, according to ancient legends, a Roman governor of Gaul, in the time of the Emperor Decius, very cruel, and a great boaster.]
Chapter 4 of The Blunderer by Molière holds 464 sentences, grouped into 93 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 464 sentences of The Blunderer, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Blunderer by Molière exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 464 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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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Project Gutenberg eBook #6563, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 191 minutes of reading across 459 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blunderer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Blunderer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
