Chapter 4 of Celtic Fairy Tales is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Celtic Fairy Tales is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon. And the owl said, "If I knew I would tell you. When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen. And a race of men came and rooted it up. And there grew there a second wood, and this wood is the third.
Chapter 4 of Celtic Fairy Tales is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to
From this reading “So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.”
a narrow secluded valley (in the mountains)
From this reading “When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.”
an old word meaning “to this place”
From this reading “When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.”
address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.”
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading “So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.”
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading “So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.”
absolutely still
From this reading “And a race of men came and rooted it up.”
covered with growing trees and bushes etc
From this reading “When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.”
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 When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the owl said, "If I knew I would tell you.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
a steep-walled semicircular basin in a mountain; may contain a lake
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.
a narrow secluded valley (in the mountains)
From this reading When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading And there grew there a second wood, and this wood is the third.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
an old word meaning “to this place”
From this reading When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And the owl said, "If I knew I would tell you.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And the owl said, "If I knew I would tell you.
address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And there grew there a second wood, and this wood is the third.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And a race of men came and rooted it up.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And the owl said, "If I knew I would tell you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
the force of workers available
From this reading And a race of men came and rooted it up.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
any competition
From this reading And a race of men came and rooted it up.
absolutely still
From this reading And a race of men came and rooted it up.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading And the owl said, "If I knew I would tell you.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading And there grew there a second wood, and this wood is the third.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
express in words
From this reading And the owl said, "If I knew I would tell you.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And there grew there a second wood, and this wood is the third.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading And there grew there a second wood, and this wood is the third.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And there grew there a second wood, and this wood is the third.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And a race of men came and rooted it up.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
at the time that
From this reading When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.
in or at the place that
From this reading So they proceeded to the place where was the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, to inquire of him concerning Mabon.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading And there grew there a second wood, and this wood is the third.
covered with growing trees and bushes etc
From this reading When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And the owl said, "If I knew I would tell you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And the owl said, "If I knew I would tell you.
Chapter 4 of Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph [Compiler] Jacobs holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 437 sentences of Celtic Fairy Tales, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph [Compiler] Jacobs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph [Compiler] Jacobs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3539 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7885 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7885, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 294 minutes of reading across 708 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Celtic Fairy Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Celtic Fairy Tales 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 Celtic Fairy Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
