Chapter 4 of The Diary of a Man of Fifty is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Diary of a Man of Fifty is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer. "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation! But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity." "A man may want to know!" said the innocent fellow. I couldn't help laughing out.
Chapter 4 of The Diary of a Man of Fifty is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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 verbal act of requesting
From this reading “But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."”
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading “"The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer.”
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading “But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."”
unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice
From this reading “But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."”
a boy or man
From this reading “"A man may want to know!" said the innocent fellow.”
free from evil or guilt
From this reading “"A man may want to know!" said the innocent fellow.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “I couldn't help laughing out.”
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading “"The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer.”
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 "A man may want to know!" said the innocent fellow.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I couldn't help laughing out.
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading "The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
a boy or man
From this reading "A man may want to know!" said the innocent fellow.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading I couldn't help laughing out.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
free from evil or guilt
From this reading "A man may want to know!" said the innocent fellow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
and nothing more
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "A man may want to know!" said the innocent fellow.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading I couldn't help laughing out.
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading "The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "A man may want to know!" said the innocent fellow.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "A man may want to know!" said the innocent fellow.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I couldn't help laughing out.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer.
express a supposition
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "A man may want to know!" said the innocent fellow.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
which person or people
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made the insinutation!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But I suppose you are not asking me the question you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity."
Chapter 4 of The Diary of a Man of Fifty by Henry James holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 232 sentences of The Diary of a Man of Fifty, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Diary of a Man of Fifty by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Diary of a Man of Fifty by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 949 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2426 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2426, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 79 minutes of reading across 190 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Diary of a Man of Fifty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Diary of a Man of Fifty 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 Diary of a Man of Fifty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
