Chapter 4 of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
We’ve accidentally hurt some people’s feelings. Assist me in being very nice to them. WILFRID BRUDENELL. Yes--but wait a minute. I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.
Chapter 4 of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
without advance planning
From this reading “We’ve accidentally hurt some people’s feelings.”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “Assist me in being very nice to them.”
plural of “drag” — the phenomenon of resistance to motion through a fluid
From this reading “I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.”
emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity)
From this reading “We’ve accidentally hurt some people’s feelings.”
be the source of pain
From this reading “We’ve accidentally hurt some people’s feelings.”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “Yes--but wait a minute.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “Assist me in being very nice to them.”
possessive form of “people” — (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
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.
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 Yes--but wait a minute.
without advance planning
From this reading We’ve accidentally hurt some people’s feelings.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Assist me in being very nice to them.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Assist me in being very nice to them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WILFRID BRUDENELL.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Yes--but wait a minute.
plural of “drag” — the phenomenon of resistance to motion through a fluid
From this reading I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.
emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity)
From this reading We’ve accidentally hurt some people’s feelings.
be the source of pain
From this reading We’ve accidentally hurt some people’s feelings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Assist me in being very nice to them.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Assist me in being very nice to them.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Yes--but wait a minute.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading Assist me in being very nice to them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.
above and across; more than
From this reading I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.
possessive form of “people” — (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading We’ve accidentally hurt some people’s feelings.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading We’ve accidentally hurt some people’s feelings.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Assist me in being very nice to them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Assist me in being very nice to them.
precisely as stated
From this reading Assist me in being very nice to them.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Yes--but wait a minute.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’ve accidentally hurt some people’s feelings.
in or at the place that
From this reading I’m not quite sure--where---- [_She drags WILFRID over to MRS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WILFRID BRUDENELL.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes--but wait a minute.
Chapter 4 of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts by Arthur Wing Pinero holds 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 439 sentences of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts by Arthur Wing Pinero exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Profligate: A Play in Four Acts by Arthur Wing Pinero on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2154 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49778 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49778, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 179 minutes of reading across 431 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts 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 Profligate: A Play in Four Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
