Chapter 4 of The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver 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 The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee. 30 FIRST PROPHET. RECITATIVE. Yet, why complain? What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
Chapter 4 of The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver 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.
the formal act of approving
From this reading “Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.”
plural of “bond” — an electrical force linking atoms
From this reading “What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?”
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “Yet, why complain?”
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading “Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.”
someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
From this reading “Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.”
an authoritative person who divines the future
From this reading “30 FIRST PROPHET.”
put down by force or intimidation
From this reading “What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?”
performs some wicked deed
From this reading “Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 30 FIRST PROPHET.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
the formal act of approving
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
plural of “bond” — an electrical force linking atoms
From this reading What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading Yet, why complain?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
at any time
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading 30 FIRST PROPHET.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
for this reason
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
used to form the superlative
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
an authoritative person who divines the future
From this reading 30 FIRST PROPHET.
a vocal passage of narrative text that a singer delivers with natural rhythms of speech
From this reading RECITATIVE.
put down by force or intimidation
From this reading What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
try to get or reach
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
forceful exertion
From this reading What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What, though by bonds confin’d, Should bonds repress the vigour of the mind?
which person or people
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Yet, why complain?
performs some wicked deed
From this reading Hence intruder, most distressing, Seek the happy and the free: The wretch who wants each other blessing, Ever wants a friend in thee.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet, why complain?
Chapter 4 of The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver by Oliver Goldsmith holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 427 sentences of The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver by Oliver Goldsmith exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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 The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver by Oliver Goldsmith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4023 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3545 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3545, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 335 minutes of reading across 805 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver to begin.
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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 Complete Poetical Works of Oliver, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
