Chapter 4 of Floyd's Flowers is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Floyd's Flowers is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!” He looked at his hands. They were greasy. He smelt his hands. As he did so he said:
Chapter 4 of Floyd's Flowers is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
a digital tape recording of sound
From this reading ““Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!””
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading ““Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!””
containing an unusual amount of grease or oil
From this reading “They were greasy.”
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading “He looked at his hands.”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “He looked at his hands.”
nocturnal arboreal marsupial having a naked prehensile tail found from southern North America to northern South America
From this reading ““Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!””
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading ““Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!””
small cold-water silvery fish; migrate between salt and fresh water
From this reading “He smelt his hands.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “He looked at his hands.”
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 “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he did so he said:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked at his hands.
a digital tape recording of sound
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading As he did so he said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
containing an unusual amount of grease or oil
From this reading They were greasy.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He looked at his hands.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked at his hands.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked at his hands.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
nocturnal arboreal marsupial having a naked prehensile tail found from southern North America to northern South America
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
small cold-water silvery fish; migrate between salt and fresh water
From this reading He smelt his hands.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As he did so he said:
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were greasy.
(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 “Well,” said he finally, “I must ’a’ et dat ’possum; I must ’a’ et dat ’possum in my sleep!”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were greasy.
Chapter 4 of Floyd's Flowers by Silas Xavier Floyd holds 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 458 sentences of Floyd's Flowers, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Floyd's Flowers by Silas Xavier Floyd exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Floyd's Flowers by Silas Xavier Floyd on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60109 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60109, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 297 minutes of reading across 715 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Floyd's Flowers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Floyd's Flowers 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 Floyd's Flowers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
