Chapter 4 of The Under Dog is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Under Dog is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété. She comes quite often. For Monsieur, it is his first time this season." He evidently took me for an old _habitué_. There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
Chapter 4 of The Under Dog is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “She comes quite often.”
plural of “compensation” — something (such as money) given or received as payment or reparation (as for a service or loss or injury)
From this reading “There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “He evidently took me for an old _habitué_.”
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading “"Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété.”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “For Monsieur, it is his first time this season."”
an artist who paints
From this reading “There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.”
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading “For Monsieur, it is his first time this season."”
characterized by dignity and propriety
From this reading “There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.”
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 There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
later than; following
From this reading There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He evidently took me for an old _habitué_.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading She comes quite often.
plural of “compensation” — something (such as money) given or received as payment or reparation (as for a service or loss or injury)
From this reading There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading He evidently took me for an old _habitué_.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading For Monsieur, it is his first time this season."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For Monsieur, it is his first time this season."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He evidently took me for an old _habitué_.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He evidently took me for an old _habitué_.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For Monsieur, it is his first time this season."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For Monsieur, it is his first time this season."
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading "Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He evidently took me for an old _habitué_.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading For Monsieur, it is his first time this season."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété.
many times at short intervals
From this reading She comes quite often.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He evidently took me for an old _habitué_.
an artist who paints
From this reading There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading She comes quite often.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading For Monsieur, it is his first time this season."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She comes quite often.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
characterized by dignity and propriety
From this reading There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There are some compensations, after all, in the life of a staid old painter.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading For Monsieur, it is his first time this season."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For Monsieur, it is his first time this season."
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He evidently took me for an old _habitué_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, that is Mademoiselle Ernestine Béraud of the Variété.
Chapter 4 of The Under Dog by Francis Hopkinson Smith holds 441 sentences, grouped into 89 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 441 sentences of The Under Dog, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Under Dog by Francis Hopkinson Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 441 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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.
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Yes. All 3898 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9463 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9463, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 780 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Under Dog section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Under Dog 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 Under Dog, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
