Chapter 4 of The Deaf Shoemaker is here in full — 385 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Deaf Shoemaker is here in full — 385 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
* * * * * “WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?” No. 2. MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning. How fond we are of the notice of the rich! How we strive to win their approbation!
Chapter 4 of The Deaf Shoemaker is here in full — 385 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading “MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.”
official approval
From this reading “How we strive to win their approbation!”
the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded)
From this reading “MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.”
the property possessed by something or someone of outstanding importance or eminence
From this reading “MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.”
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading “MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.”
having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
From this reading “MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.”
attempt by employing effort
From this reading “How we strive to win their approbation!”
the state of being rich and affluent; having a plentiful supply of material goods and money
From this reading “MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.”
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 No. 2.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
official approval
From this reading How we strive to win their approbation!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading * * * * * “WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?”
the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded)
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
opinion or judgment
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading How fond we are of the notice of the rich!
highest in quality
From this reading * * * * * “WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?”
the property possessed by something or someone of outstanding importance or eminence
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How fond we are of the notice of the rich!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
the force of workers available
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
not any; not one
From this reading No. 2.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading How fond we are of the notice of the rich!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
possessing material wealth
From this reading How fond we are of the notice of the rich!
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading * * * * * “WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?”
attempt by employing effort
From this reading How we strive to win their approbation!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * “WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?”
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading How we strive to win their approbation!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading How fond we are of the notice of the rich!
the state of being rich and affluent; having a plentiful supply of material goods and money
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
which person or people
From this reading * * * * * “WHO SHALL BE THE GREATEST?”
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading How we strive to win their approbation!
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading MEN are ambitious of the esteem of those who are prominent in the eyes of the world on account of their wealth, their greatness, their learning.
Chapter 4 of The Deaf Shoemaker by Philip Barrett holds 385 sentences, grouped into 77 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 385 sentences of The Deaf Shoemaker, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Deaf Shoemaker by Philip Barrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 385 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 Deaf Shoemaker by Philip Barrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1587 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52296 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52296, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 132 minutes of reading across 318 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Deaf Shoemaker section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Deaf Shoemaker 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 Deaf Shoemaker, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
