Chapter 4 of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale CHAPTER IV. The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill CHAPTER V. Advice from a Caterpillar CHAPTER VI. Pig and Pepper CHAPTER VII. A Mad Tea-Party CHAPTER VIII. The Queen’s Cr
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess! The Duchess! Oh my dear paws! Oh my fur and whiskers! She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
Chapter 4 of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
put to death as punishment
From this reading “She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!”
plural of “ferret” — musteline mammal of prairie regions of United States; nearly extinct
From this reading “She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!”
plural of “paw” — a clawed foot of an animal especially a quadruped
From this reading “Oh my dear paws!”
any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading “The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!”
third-person singular of “send” — cause to go somewhere
From this reading “The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!”
inflected form of “trot” — run at a moderately swift pace
From this reading “The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!”
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading “Oh my fur and whiskers!”
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 The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
anew
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
dearly loved
From this reading Oh my dear paws!
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
put to death as punishment
From this reading She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
plural of “ferret” — musteline mammal of prairie regions of United States; nearly extinct
From this reading She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
From this reading Oh my fur and whiskers!
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Oh my dear paws!
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh my dear paws!
plural of “paw” — a clawed foot of an animal especially a quadruped
From this reading Oh my dear paws!
any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
third-person singular of “send” — cause to go somewhere
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
inflected form of “trot” — run at a moderately swift pace
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading Oh my fur and whiskers!
a Caucasian
From this reading The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself “The Duchess!
Use these questions to verify literal comprehension before continuing to the next chapter.
What is the central narrative or theme conveyed in this section of Chapter 03: A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale?
Which core linguistic virtue or character attribute is emphasized in this passage?
According to the text: "A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale...", what tone does the author establish?
Repeat the selected source lines aloud to practice rhythm, stress, and clear US English pronunciation.
Chapter 4 of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 116 sentences of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1310 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 109 minutes of reading across 262 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Alice's Adventures in Wonderland section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 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 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
