Chapter 4 of Being a Boy is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Being a Boy is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IX. THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one. It seemed to him then that mince would be better. The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered. There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
Chapter 4 of Being a Boy is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
move towards
From this reading “There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.”
carefully weighed
From this reading “The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered.”
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading “THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.”
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading “There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.”
any joyous diversion
From this reading “There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.”
make less severe or harsh
From this reading “It seemed to him then that mince would be better.”
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading “The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered.”
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading “THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.”
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 SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
later than; following
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
move towards
From this reading There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It seemed to him then that mince would be better.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading It seemed to him then that mince would be better.
a youthful male person
From this reading The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
carefully weighed
From this reading The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered.
any joyous diversion
From this reading There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed to him then that mince would be better.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to him then that mince would be better.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading IX.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
make less severe or harsh
From this reading It seemed to him then that mince would be better.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to him then that mince would be better.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading It seemed to him then that mince would be better.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is an air of festivity about its approach in the fall.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed to him then that mince would be better.
in the direction of
From this reading The feeling of a boy towards pumpkin-pie has never been properly considered.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE What John said was, that he didn't care much for pumpkin-pie; but that was after he had eaten a whole one.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It seemed to him then that mince would be better.
Chapter 4 of Being a Boy by Charles Dudley Warner holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 135 sentences of Being a Boy, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Being a Boy by Charles Dudley Warner exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 1337 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3127 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3127, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 111 minutes of reading across 268 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Being a Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Being a Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
