Chapter 4 of The School for Scandal is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The School for Scandal is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SIR PETER. Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of. LADY SNEERWELL. True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united. SIR BENJAMIN.
Chapter 4 of The School for Scandal is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
similar in quality or character
From this reading “True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.”
related by common characteristics or ancestry
From this reading “Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.”
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading “Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.”
gum resin used especially in treating skin irritation
From this reading “SIR BENJAMIN.”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.”
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “SIR PETER.”
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading “True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.”
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading “Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.”
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 Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
similar in quality or character
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
related by common characteristics or ancestry
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
gum resin used especially in treating skin irritation
From this reading SIR BENJAMIN.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading LADY SNEERWELL.
a title used to address any peeress except a duchess
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
a woman of refinement
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading SIR PETER.
term of address for a man
From this reading SIR PETER.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LADY SNEERWELL.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading True Sir Peter--I believe they are so near akin that they can never be united.
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Ah Madam true wit is more nearly allow'd [allied?] to good Nature than your Ladyship is aware of.
Chapter 4 of The School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan holds 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 222 sentences of The School for Scandal, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2255 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1929 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1929, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 187 minutes of reading across 451 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The School for Scandal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The School for Scandal 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 School for Scandal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
