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Docas
Docas

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Docas is here in full — 568 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Genevra Sisson Snedden • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Docas
Context Illustration Reading 1/113 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.
“What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.
“It is not the Señor that wants us to-morrow.
It is the Señora.
Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Docas

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Docas is here in full — 568 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/113 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.
Line 2
“What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.
Line 3
“It is not the Señor that wants us to-morrow.
Line 4
It is the Señora.
Line 5
Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

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.

creek noun US /kriːk/

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

From this reading “Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
don noun US /dɑːn/

a Spanish gentleman or nobleman

From this reading “WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lived verb US /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading “WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
oldest adjective US /ˈoʊldəst/

superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading “WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
robles noun US /ˈroʊbəlz/

plural of “roble” — large tree of Trinidad and Guyana having odd-pinnate leaves and violet-scented axillary racemes of yellow flowers and long smooth pods; grown as a specimen in parks and large gardens

From this reading “WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soap noun US /soʊp/

a cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats

From this reading “WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
start verb US /stɑːrt/

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading “Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wants noun US /wɑːnts/

plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty

From this reading ““It is not the Señor that wants us to-morrow.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

in the morning preposition + article + noun counted as “in … morning”

In this reading “Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.”

71,997 times in 426,211 chapters
LIVED WITH verb + particle counted as “live with”

tolerate or accommodate oneself to

In this reading “WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.”

19,068 times in 426,211 chapters
start for verb + particle

In this reading “Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.”

13,977 times in 426,211 chapters
come again verb + particle

In this reading “Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.”

16,776 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 53

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 Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
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 Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading “What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
comeverbUS /kʌm/

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

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
creeknounUS /kriːk/

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading “What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
DOCAS

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

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Pending verification
doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

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

From this reading “What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
DONnounUS /dɑːn/

a Spanish gentleman or nobleman

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “It is not the Señor that wants us to-morrow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “It is not the Señor that wants us to-morrow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
LIVEDverbUS /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “It is not the Señor that wants us to-morrow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Occano

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

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Pending verification
oldestadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldəst/

superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Oshda

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

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Pending verification
ox-cart

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

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Pending verification
ROBLESnounUS /ˈroʊbəlz/

plural of “roble” — large tree of Trinidad and Guyana having odd-pinnate leaves and violet-scented axillary racemes of yellow flowers and long smooth pods; grown as a specimen in parks and large gardens

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SECUNDINI

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

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Pending verification
Señor

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

From this reading “What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.

Pending verification
Señora

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

From this reading It is the Señora.

Pending verification
soapnounUS /soʊp/

a cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
startverbUS /stɑːrt/

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “It is not the Señor that wants us to-morrow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
to-morrow

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

From this reading “What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.

Pending verification
to-night

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

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Pending verification
uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading “What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wantsnounUS /wɑːnts/

plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty

From this reading “It is not the Señor that wants us to-morrow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WASH-DAY

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

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Pending verification
WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WHENconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WITHprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading WHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES WASH-DAY “We must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 4 of Docas by Genevra Sisson Snedden holds 568 sentences, grouped into 114 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 Docas contain?

Chapter 4 holds 568 sentences of Docas, unabridged, divided into 114 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Docas by Genevra Sisson Snedden exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 568 sentences, grouped into 114 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 Docas?

Work through the 114 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 114 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 Docas

Common questions about reading Docas by Genevra Sisson Snedden on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Docas?

Yes. All 1995 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70460 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Docas is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #70460, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Docas take to read?

About 166 minutes of reading across 399 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Docas section by section

How to work through Docas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 4 chapters of Docas to begin.

  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 Docas

Words and structures a reader meets early in Docas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

People
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Docas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
About--white
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Docas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Indians
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Docas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Think
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Docas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.