Chapter 4 of A bird of passage is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A bird of passage is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS. "What's his name and birth? I cannot delve him to the root." _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously. "She has come to call _first_.
Chapter 4 of A bird of passage is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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 time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading “"What's his name and birth?”
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “_Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.”
turn up, loosen, or remove earth
From this reading “I cannot delve him to the root."”
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading “_Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.”
(botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground
From this reading “I cannot delve him to the root."”
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear
From this reading “_Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.”
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading “MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "What's his name and birth?
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading "What's his name and birth?
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "She has come to call _first_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot delve him to the root."
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "She has come to call _first_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
turn up, loosen, or remove earth
From this reading I cannot delve him to the root."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "She has come to call _first_.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I cannot delve him to the root."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "What's his name and birth?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I cannot delve him to the root."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "What's his name and birth?
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
on the contrary
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
(botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground
From this reading I cannot delve him to the root."
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She has come to call _first_.
(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I cannot delve him to the root."
in or at that place or location
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I cannot delve him to the root."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading _Shakespeare._ "THERE is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously.
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's his name and birth?
Chapter 4 of A bird of passage by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 114 sentences of A bird of passage, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A bird of passage by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 6249 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69198 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #69198, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 520 minutes of reading across 1250 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A bird of passage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
