Chapter 4 of Five Little Peppers Abroad is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Five Little Peppers Abroad is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever. "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said. "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly. But then came my new stove. Mamsie, wasn't Papa Fisher splendid?
Chapter 4 of Five Little Peppers Abroad is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “"Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.”
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading “"Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.”
someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading “Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.”
possessive form of “fisher” — someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading “Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.”
in a joyous manner
From this reading “"Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.”
not agitated; without losing self-possession
From this reading “Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.”
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading “"Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.”
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading “Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.”
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 Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But then came my new stove.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
at any time
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading Mamsie, wasn't Papa Fisher splendid?
possessive form of “fisher” — someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mamsie, wasn't Papa Fisher splendid?
in a joyous manner
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading But then came my new stove.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading But then came my new stove.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
and nothing more
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Mamsie, wasn't Papa Fisher splendid?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said.
not agitated; without losing self-possession
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading Mamsie, wasn't Papa Fisher splendid?
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading But then came my new stove.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mamsie, wasn't Papa Fisher splendid?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Mrs. Fisher's hand trembled a bit, but the black eyes were as serene as ever.
at the time that
From this reading "Oh, but it was fun!" said Polly, merrily, "only I didn't like the old stove when it acted badly.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You used to work pretty hard, Polly," she said.
Chapter 4 of Five Little Peppers Abroad by Margaret Sidney holds 441 sentences, grouped into 89 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 441 sentences of Five Little Peppers Abroad, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Five Little Peppers Abroad by Margaret Sidney exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 441 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Five Little Peppers Abroad by Margaret Sidney on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4688 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6987 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6987, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 390 minutes of reading across 938 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Five Little Peppers Abroad section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Five Little Peppers Abroad 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 Five Little Peppers Abroad, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
