Chapter 4 of A Spinner in the Sun is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Spinner in the Sun is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand. "Not to-day, Laddie," he said. "If we travel to-day, we'll not be going far. Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work? Come here."
Chapter 4 of A Spinner in the Sun is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 “bark” — tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading “Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.”
-ing form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading “Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.”
plural of “leap” — a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading “Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.”
someone who plays the bagpipe
From this reading “Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.”
past form of “scamper” — to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading “Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.”
the day immediately before today
From this reading “Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
plural of “bark” — tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "If we travel to-day, we'll not be going far.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come here."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "If we travel to-day, we'll not be going far.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
set up or found
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
the act of departing
From this reading "If we travel to-day, we'll not be going far.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Not to-day, Laddie," he said.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Come here."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If we travel to-day, we'll not be going far.
-ing form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
a male child (a familiar term of address to a boy)
From this reading "Not to-day, Laddie," he said.
plural of “leap” — a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not to-day, Laddie," he said.
and nothing more
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
someone who plays the bagpipe
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Not to-day, Laddie," he said.
past form of “scamper” — to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Not to-day, Laddie," he said.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Having finished his breakfast, the dog scampered about eagerly, indicating, by many leaps and barks, that it was time to travel, but the Piper raised his hand.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "If we travel to-day, we'll not be going far.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If we travel to-day, we'll not be going far.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
the day immediately before today
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Have you forgotten that 't was only day before yesterday we found our work?
Chapter 4 of A Spinner in the Sun by Myrtle Reed holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of A Spinner in the Sun, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Spinner in the Sun by Myrtle Reed exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 A Spinner in the Sun by Myrtle Reed on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4980 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12672 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12672, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 415 minutes of reading across 996 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Spinner in the Sun section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of A Spinner in the Sun 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 A Spinner in the Sun, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
