Chapter 4 of Folks from Dixie is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Folks from Dixie is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it. “‘Yes, I did,’ says I, ‘an’ I noticed hit strong.’ “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’ “‘Hain’t you got no idee, Aunt Emmerline?’ I say.
Chapter 4 of Folks from Dixie is here in full — 443 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.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading ““‘Hain’t you got no idee, Aunt Emmerline?’”
a republic in southern South America on the western slopes of the Andes on the south Pacific coast
From this reading ““‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’”
a digital tape recording of sound
From this reading ““‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.”
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading ““‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.”
cause to move by striking
From this reading ““‘Yes, I did,’ says I, ‘an’ I noticed hit strong.’”
being perceived or observed
From this reading ““‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading ““‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.”
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading ““‘Yes, I did,’ says I, ‘an’ I noticed hit strong.’”
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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “‘Yes, I did,’ says I, ‘an’ I noticed hit strong.’
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “‘Hain’t you got no idee, Aunt Emmerline?’
a republic in southern South America on the western slopes of the Andes on the south Pacific coast
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
a digital tape recording of sound
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “‘Yes, I did,’ says I, ‘an’ I noticed hit strong.’
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Hain’t you got no idee, Aunt Emmerline?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “‘Hain’t you got no idee, Aunt Emmerline?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Hain’t you got no idee, Aunt Emmerline?’
cause to move by striking
From this reading “‘Yes, I did,’ says I, ‘an’ I noticed hit strong.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Hain’t you got no idee, Aunt Emmerline?’
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
not any; not one
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
being perceived or observed
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
a radioactive metallic element that is similar to tellurium and bismuth; occurs in uranium ores but can be produced by bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
precisely, exactly
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
express in words
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading “‘Yes, I did,’ says I, ‘an’ I noticed hit strong.’
express in words
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
at the time that
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Dey’s somep’n’ ain’t gwine right wif my po’ chile,’ she say, ‘an’ dey ain’t no tellin’ whut it is.’
an affirmative
From this reading “‘Yes, I did,’ says I, ‘an’ I noticed hit strong.’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “‘You don’ mean to tell me dat you noticed dat too?’ says she when I tol’ huh erbout it.
Chapter 4 of Folks from Dixie by Paul Laurence Dunbar holds 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 443 sentences of Folks from Dixie, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Folks from Dixie by Paul Laurence Dunbar exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 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 Folks from Dixie by Paul Laurence Dunbar on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2690 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74993 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #74993, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 224 minutes of reading across 538 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Folks from Dixie section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Folks from Dixie 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 Folks from Dixie, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
