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Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear
Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE FOREST FIRE.
Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.
On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.
For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.
Nor was I the only one of the family who was nervous.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE FOREST FIRE.
/ðə ˈfɔːrəst ˈfaɪər/
Line 2
Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.
/ðoʊ wiː hæd kʌm ɔːf soʊ ˈhæpəli frʌm ˈaʊər fɜːrst ɪnˈkaʊntər wɪð mæn nʌn ðə les wiː hæd noʊ dɪˈzaɪər tuː siː hɪm əˈɡen/
Line 3
On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.
/ɑːn ðə ˈkɑːntreri wiː dɪˈtɜːrmənd tuː kiːp æz fɑːr əˈweɪ frʌm hɪm æz ˈpɑːsəbəl/
Line 4
For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.
/fɔːr maɪ pɑːrt aɪ kənˈfes ðæt θɔːts ʌv hɪm wɜːr ˈɔːlweɪz wɪð miː ənd ˈevəri θɔːt meɪd ðə skɪn krɔːl ʌp maɪ bæk/
Line 5
Nor was I the only one of the family who was nervous.
/nɔːr wɑːz aɪ ðə ˈoʊnli wʌn ʌv ðə ˈfæməli huː wɑːz ˈnɜːrvəs/

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.

confess verb US /kənˈfes/

confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure

From this reading “For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.”

contrary adjective US /ˈkɑːntreri/

very opposed in nature or character or purpose

From this reading “On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.”

crawl verb US /krɔːl/

move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground

From this reading “For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.”

determined adjective US /dɪˈtɜːrmənd/

characterized by great determination

From this reading “On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.”

encounter verb US /ɪnˈkaʊntər/

come together

From this reading “Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.”

happily adverb US /ˈhæpəli/

in a joyous manner

From this reading “Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.”

nervous adjective US /ˈnɜːrvəs/

easily agitated

From this reading “Nor was I the only one of the family who was nervous.”

skin noun US /skɪn/

a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch

From this reading “For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

crawl up verb + adjective

In this reading “For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.”

encounter with verb + particle

In this reading “Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.”

come off verb + particle

come to be detached

In this reading “Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.”

All words in this reading · 58

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

confessverbUS /kənˈfes/

confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

contraryadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːntreri/

very opposed in nature or character or purpose

From this reading On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.

crawlverbUS /krɔːl/

move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

determinedadjectiveUS /dɪˈtɜːrmənd/

characterized by great determination

From this reading On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.

encounterverbUS /ɪnˈkaʊntər/

come together

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading Nor was I the only one of the family who was nervous.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.

FIREverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading THE FOREST FIRE.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

FORESTnounUS /ˈfɔːrəst/

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading THE FOREST FIRE.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

happilyadverbUS /ˈhæpəli/

in a joyous manner

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

mannounUS /mæn/

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

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

nervousadjectiveUS /ˈnɜːrvəs/

easily agitated

From this reading Nor was I the only one of the family who was nervous.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

NorconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading Nor was I the only one of the family who was nervous.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Nor was I the only one of the family who was nervous.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Nor was I the only one of the family who was nervous.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

possibleadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːsəbəl/

capable of happening or existing

From this reading On the contrary, we determined to keep as far away from him as possible.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

skinnounUS /skɪn/

a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE FOREST FIRE.

ThoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

thoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Nor was I the only one of the family who was nervous.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading For my part, I confess that thoughts of him were always with me, and every thought made the skin crawl up my back.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Nor was I the only one of the family who was nervous.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Though we had come off so happily from our first encounter with man, none the less we had no desire to see him again.

Chapter 4 of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear by Harry Perry Robinson holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear contain?

Chapter 4 holds 138 sentences of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear by Harry Perry Robinson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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 Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear

Common questions about reading Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear by Harry Perry Robinson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear?

Yes. All 1062 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31414 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31414, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear take to read?

About 88 minutes of reading across 213 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear section by section

How to work through Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  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 Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear

Words and structures a reader meets early in Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Tumbled
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Downhill
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Believe
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Course
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bear Brownie: The Life of a Bear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.