Chapter 4 of Cowper is here in full — 134 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 Cowper is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHORSHIP. THE MORAL SATIRES. Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation. He tried drawing, carpentering, gardening. Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
Chapter 4 of Cowper is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
the act of creating written works
From this reading “AUTHORSHIP.”
English surgeon who discovered Cowper's gland (1666-1709)
From this reading “Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.”
the cultivation of plants
From this reading “He tried drawing, carpentering, gardening.”
feeling or showing love and affection
From this reading “Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.”
plural of “passage” — the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.”
return to an original state
From this reading “Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.”
plural of “satire” — witty language used to convey insults or scorn
From this reading “THE MORAL SATIRES.”
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 Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
the act of creating written works
From this reading AUTHORSHIP.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He tried drawing, carpentering, gardening.
English surgeon who discovered Cowper's gland (1666-1709)
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading He tried drawing, carpentering, gardening.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
the cultivation of plants
From this reading He tried drawing, carpentering, gardening.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
feeling or showing love and affection
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
the property of being very small in size
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles
From this reading THE MORAL SATIRES.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
plural of “passage” — the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
return to an original state
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
plural of “satire” — witty language used to convey insults or scorn
From this reading THE MORAL SATIRES.
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MORAL SATIRES.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading He tried drawing, carpentering, gardening.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading Of gardening he had always been fond; and he understood it as shown by the loving though somewhat "stercoraceous" minuteness of some passages in _The Task_.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Since his recovery, Cowper had been looking out for what he most needed, a pleasant occupation.
Chapter 4 of Cowper by Goldwin Smith holds 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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 134 sentences of Cowper, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Cowper by Goldwin Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 134 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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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cowper section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Cowper 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 Cowper, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
