Chapter 4 of Within a Budding Grove is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Within a Budding Grove is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now. You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that. So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual." "But he doesn't ever think you naughty. He thinks you're quite perfect."
Chapter 4 of Within a Budding Grove is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
the date on which an event occurred in some previous year (or the celebration of it)
From this reading “"Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.”
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “"Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.”
suggestive of sexual impropriety
From this reading “So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.”
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading “He thinks you're quite perfect."”
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading “He thinks you're quite perfect."”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."”
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading “So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."”
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.
In this reading “"Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.”
In this reading “"Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.”
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 So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
the date on which an event occurred in some previous year (or the celebration of it)
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But he doesn't ever think you naughty.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But he doesn't ever think you naughty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
at any time
From this reading "But he doesn't ever think you naughty.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
and nothing more
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
suggestive of sexual impropriety
From this reading So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading He thinks you're quite perfect."
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He thinks you're quite perfect."
Identical; not different.
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "But he doesn't ever think you naughty.
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading He thinks you're quite perfect."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."
make an effort or attempt
From this reading So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading So I just try to be a little less naughty than usual."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, poor Papa, it is the anniversary of his father's death, just now.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You can understand what he must be feeling; you do understand, don't you; you and I feel the same about things like that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He thinks you're quite perfect."
Chapter 4 of Within a Budding Grove by Marcel Proust holds 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 447 sentences of Within a Budding Grove, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Within a Budding Grove by Marcel Proust exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Within a Budding Grove by Marcel Proust on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Within a Budding Grove section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Within a Budding Grove 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 Within a Budding Grove, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
