Chapter 4 of The Greater Inclination is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Greater Inclination is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Lydia recognized the names. They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier. “Now you see how it is--you understand, don’t you?” Mrs. Cope continued on a note of appeal. “I knew you would--that’s the reason I came to you.
Chapter 4 of The Greater Inclination is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading “Mrs. Cope continued on a note of appeal.”
succeed in doing, achieving, or producing (something) with the limited or inadequate means available
From this reading “Mrs. Cope continued on a note of appeal.”
earlier in time; previously
From this reading “They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.”
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading “They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.”
(of e.g. fabric design) adorned with patterns
From this reading “They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.”
marked by ostentation but often tasteless
From this reading “They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.”
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading “Lydia recognized the names.”
feeling intense pleasurable excitement
From this reading “They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.”
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 They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading Mrs. Cope continued on a note of appeal.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “I knew you would--that’s the reason I came to you.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Mrs. Cope continued on a note of appeal.
succeed in doing, achieving, or producing (something) with the limited or inadequate means available
From this reading Mrs. Cope continued on a note of appeal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now you see how it is--you understand, don’t you?”
earlier in time; previously
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
the act of running away with a lover (usually to get married)
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
(of e.g. fabric design) adorned with patterns
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
marked by ostentation but often tasteless
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now you see how it is--you understand, don’t you?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I knew you would--that’s the reason I came to you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Now you see how it is--you understand, don’t you?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Now you see how it is--you understand, don’t you?”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I knew you would--that’s the reason I came to you.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading Lydia recognized the names.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Cope continued on a note of appeal.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading Lydia recognized the names.
a brief written record
From this reading Mrs. Cope continued on a note of appeal.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now you see how it is--you understand, don’t you?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mrs. Cope continued on a note of appeal.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mrs. Cope continued on a note of appeal.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading “I knew you would--that’s the reason I came to you.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading Lydia recognized the names.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Now you see how it is--you understand, don’t you?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I knew you would--that’s the reason I came to you.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Lydia recognized the names.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
feeling intense pleasurable excitement
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I knew you would--that’s the reason I came to you.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “Now you see how it is--you understand, don’t you?”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They had figured in a flamboyant elopement which had thrilled fashionable London some six months earlier.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “I knew you would--that’s the reason I came to you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Now you see how it is--you understand, don’t you?”
Chapter 4 of The Greater Inclination by Edith Wharton holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 413 sentences of The Greater Inclination, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Greater Inclination by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Greater Inclination by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3378 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9190 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9190, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 281 minutes of reading across 676 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Greater Inclination section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Greater Inclination 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 Greater Inclination, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
