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Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories
Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.
He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.
As soon as he perceived the ladies, he exclaimed:
"How fortunate!
Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.
Line 2
He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.
Line 3
As soon as he perceived the ladies, he exclaimed:
/æz suːn æz hiː pərˈsiːvd ðə ˈleɪdiz hiː ɪkˈskleɪmd/
Line 4
"How fortunate!
Line 5
Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."

Learner Dictionary

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.

baroness noun US /ˈberənɪs/

a noblewoman who holds the rank of baron or who is the wife or widow of a baron

From this reading “M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.”

fortunate adjective US /ˈfɔːrtʃənət/

having unexpected good fortune

From this reading “"How fortunate!”

invite verb US /ˌɪnˈvaɪt/

increase the likelihood of

From this reading “M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.”

luncheon noun US /ˈlʌntʃən/

a midday meal

From this reading “M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.”

neighbor noun US /ˈneɪbər/

a person who lives (or is located) near another

From this reading “Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."”

pastor noun US /ˈpæstər/

a person authorized to conduct religious worship

From this reading “M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.”

prompted verb US /ˈprɑːmptɪd/

past form of “prompt” — give an incentive for action

From this reading “M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.”

Thursday noun US /ˈθɜːrzdeɪ/

the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day

From this reading “M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

AllowverbUS /əˈlaʊ/

make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

From this reading Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

armnounUS /ɑːrm/

a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As soon as he perceived the ladies, he exclaimed:

baronessnounUS /ˈberənɪs/

a noblewoman who holds the rank of baron or who is the wife or widow of a baron

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

DEnounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

exclaimedverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading As soon as he perceived the ladies, he exclaimed:

familiarlyadverb

in an intimately familiar manner

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

feelingnounUS /ˈfiːlɪŋ/

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

fortunateadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənət/

having unexpected good fortune

From this reading "How fortunate!

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

How

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "How fortunate!

inviteverbUS /ˌɪnˈvaɪt/

increase the likelihood of

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

Jeanne

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

ladiesnounUS /ˈleɪdiz/

plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman

From this reading As soon as he perceived the ladies, he exclaimed:

LAMARE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

lenounUS /lə/

a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."

leaningadjectiveUS /ˈliːnɪŋ/

departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

luncheonnounUS /ˈlʌntʃən/

a midday meal

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

MnounUS /em/

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

massnounUS /mæs/

the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."

Mlle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."

neighbornounUS /ˈneɪbər/

a person who lives (or is located) near another

From this reading Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

pastornounUS /ˈpæstər/

a person authorized to conduct religious worship

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

perceivedadjectiveUS /pərˈsiːvd/

detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues

From this reading As soon as he perceived the ladies, he exclaimed:

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."

priestnounUS /priːst/

a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

promptedverbUS /ˈprɑːmptɪd/

past form of “prompt” — give an incentive for action

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

respectnounUS /rɪˈspekt/

(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

sacristynoun

a room in a church where sacred vessels and vestments are kept or meetings are held

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

servicenounUS /ˈsɜːrvəs/

work done by one person or group that benefits another

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading As soon as he perceived the ladies, he exclaimed:

SundaynounUS /ˈsʌndeɪ/

first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

talladjectiveUS /tɔːl/

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

ThursdaynounUS /ˈθɜːrzdeɪ/

the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

Vicomte

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."

waitedverbUS /ˈweɪtɪd/

past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading M. DE LAMARE The following Sunday the baroness and Jeanne went to mass, prompted by a feeling of respect for their pastor, and after service waited to see the priest and invite him to luncheon the following Thursday.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading He came out of the sacristy leaning familiarly on the arm of a tall young man.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Allow me, baroness and Mlle. Jeanne, to present to you your neighbor, M. le Vicomte de Lamare."

Chapter 4 of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories by Guy de Maupassant holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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.

What does chapter 4 of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories contain?

Chapter 4 holds 192 sentences of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories by Guy de Maupassant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories

Common questions about reading Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories by Guy de Maupassant on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories section by section

How to work through Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Une Vie, a Piece of String and Other Stories, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.