Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Richard Barnum • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

“Yes, I must soon start teaching you to dance.”

Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross.

If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/23

Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures Richard Barnum

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

DIDO LEARNS TO DANCE “You are a very nice, good, little bear, and I think you will soon learn to dance,” said the man as he rubbed Dido on the head, and gave him some water to drink, after Dido had eaten the bread. “Yes, I must soon start teaching you to dance.” Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded. Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross. If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures 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

Line 1

/ˈdaɪdoʊ lɜːrnz tuː dæns juː ɑːr ə ˈveri naɪs ɡʊd ˈlɪtəl ber ənd aɪ θɪŋk juː wɪl suːn lɜːrn tuː dæns sed ðə mæn æz hiː rʌbd ˈdaɪdoʊ ɑːn ðə hed ənd ɡeɪv hɪm sʌm ˈwɔːtər tuː drɪŋk ˈæftər ˈdaɪdoʊ hæd ˈiːtən ðə bred/

Line 2

“Yes, I must soon start teaching you to dance.”

/jes aɪ mʌst suːn stɑːrt ˈtiːtʃɪŋ juː tuː dæns/

Line 3

Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

Line 4

Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross.

/dʒʌst æz jɔːr dɔːɡ kæn tel wen juː spiːk ˈkaɪndli tuː hɪm ɔːr wen juː ɑːr krɔːs/

Line 5

If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

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.

dido noun US /ˈdaɪdoʊ/

(Roman mythology) a princess of Tyre who was the founder and queen of Carthage; Virgil tells of her suicide when she was abandoned by Aeneas

From this reading “DIDO LEARNS TO DANCE “You are a very nice, good, little bear, and I think you will soon learn to dance,” said the man as he rubbed Dido on the head, and gave him some water to drink, after Dido had eaten the bread.”

eaten verb US /ˈiːtən/

inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food

learns verb US /lɜːrnz/

third-person singular of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills

nicely adverb US /ˈnaɪsli/

in a nice way

From this reading “If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.”

rubbed verb US /rʌbd/

inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure

tail noun US /teɪl/

the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body

From this reading “If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.”

teaching noun US /ˈtiːtʃɪŋ/

the profession of a teacher

From this reading ““Yes, I must soon start teaching you to dance.””

wag noun US /wæɡ/

a witty amusing person who makes jokes

From this reading “If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.”

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.

eaten the bread verb + article + noun counted as “eat … bread”

In this reading “DIDO LEARNS TO DANCE “You are a very nice, good, little bear, and I think you will soon learn to dance,” said the man as he rubbed Dido on the head, and gave him some water to drink, after Dido had eaten the bread.”

good fellow adjective + noun

In this reading “If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.”

voice sounded noun + noun counted as “voice sound”

In this reading “Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.”

Of course preposition + noun

as might be expected

In this reading “Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.”

by the way preposition + article + noun counted as “by … way”

introducing a different topic

In this reading “Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.”

some water adjective + noun

All words in this reading · 80

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading DIDO LEARNS TO DANCE “You are a very nice, good, little bear, and I think you will soon learn to dance,” said the man as he rubbed Dido on the head, and gave him some water to drink, after Dido had eaten the bread.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

bearverbUS /ber/

have

breadnounUS /bred/

food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

crossverbUS /krɔːs/

travel across or pass over

From this reading Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross.

DANCEnounUS /dæns/

an artistic form of nonverbal communication

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

DIDOnounUS /ˈdaɪdoʊ/

(Roman mythology) a princess of Tyre who was the founder and queen of Carthage; Virgil tells of her suicide when she was abandoned by Aeneas

dognounUS /dɔːɡ/

a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds

From this reading Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross.

drinkverbUS /drɪŋk/

take in liquids

eatenverbUS /ˈiːtən/

inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food

fellownounUS /ˈfeloʊ/

a boy or man

From this reading If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

gladadjectiveUS /ɡlæd/

showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy

From this reading If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

JustadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross.

kindlyadjectiveUS /ˈkaɪndli/

showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

knewverbUS /nuː/

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 Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

learnverbUS /lɜːrn/

gain knowledge or skills

LEARNSverbUS /lɜːrnz/

third-person singular of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

mannounUS /mæn/

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

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “Yes, I must soon start teaching you to dance.”

niceadjectiveUS /naɪs/

pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

nicelyadverbUS /ˈnaɪsli/

in a nice way

From this reading If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

OfprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross.

rubbedverbUS /rʌbd/

inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

showverbUS /ʃoʊ/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

soundedverbUS /ˈsaʊndɪd/

past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross.

speakingnounUS /ˈspiːkɪŋ/

the utterance of intelligible speech

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

startverbUS /stɑːrt/

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading “Yes, I must soon start teaching you to dance.”

tailnounUS /teɪl/

the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body

From this reading If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

teachingnounUS /ˈtiːtʃɪŋ/

the profession of a teacher

From this reading “Yes, I must soon start teaching you to dance.”

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

understandverbUS /ˌʌndərˈstænd/

know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

wagnounUS /wæɡ/

a witty amusing person who makes jokes

From this reading If you speak nicely to your dog, and call him a good fellow, he will wag his tail, to show how glad he is.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Of course Dido did not understand this talk――that is not all of it, but he knew the man was speaking kindly to him, for he could tell by the way his voice sounded.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading “Yes, I must soon start teaching you to dance.”

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Just as your dog can tell when you speak kindly to him, or when you are cross.

Chapter 4 of Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures by Richard Barnum holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures contain?

Chapter 4 holds 116 sentences of Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures by Richard Barnum exactly as it stands in the 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures?

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.

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.

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Yes. All 1690 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61450 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #61450, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 140 minutes of reading across 338 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures

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Chapter IV

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