Chapter 4 of The Middle-Class Gentleman is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Middle-Class Gentleman is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DORANTE: It's true. MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman. DORANTE: Quite right. Twelve sols eight deniers. The account is exact.
Chapter 4 of The Middle-Class Gentleman is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “The account is exact.”
being one more than seven
From this reading “MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.”
Strictly particular and correct.
From this reading “The account is exact.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading “MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.”
ten 10s
From this reading “MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.”
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading “MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.”
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.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading The account is exact.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DORANTE: It's true.
being one more than seven
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
Strictly particular and correct.
From this reading The account is exact.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
ten 10s
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The account is exact.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DORANTE: It's true.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading DORANTE: Quite right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading DORANTE: Quite right.
being nine more than seventy
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The account is exact.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
a merchant who owns or manages a shop
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading DORANTE: It's true.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Four thousand three hundred seventy-nine livres twelve sols eight deniers to your tradesman.
Chapter 4 of The Middle-Class Gentleman by Molière holds 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 286 sentences of The Middle-Class Gentleman, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Middle-Class Gentleman by Molière exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 Middle-Class Gentleman by Molière on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1693 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2992 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2992, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 141 minutes of reading across 339 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Middle-Class Gentleman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Middle-Class Gentleman 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 Middle-Class Gentleman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
