Chapter 4 of Harper's Young People, April 20, 1880 is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Harper's Young People, April 20, 1880 is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Ow!" sobbed Blossom, "that hurt." "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by." Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond. "This is a horrid world," sighed Blossom. "Hope we've dot to the end of it now.
Chapter 4 of Harper's Young People, April 20, 1880 is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
produce or yield flowers
From this reading “"Ow!" sobbed Blossom, "that hurt."”
a very small circular shape
From this reading “"Hope we've dot to the end of it now.”
exceedingly bad
From this reading “"This is a horrid world," sighed Blossom.”
be the source of pain
From this reading “"Ow!" sobbed Blossom, "that hurt."”
a small lake
From this reading “Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.”
a mischievous sprite of English folklore
From this reading “"Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “"This is a horrid world," sighed Blossom.”
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading “"Ow!" sobbed Blossom, "that hurt."”
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 Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
produce or yield flowers
From this reading "Ow!" sobbed Blossom, "that hurt."
an indefinite time in the future
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
in a comforting or consoling manner
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
a very small circular shape
From this reading "Hope we've dot to the end of it now.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading "Hope we've dot to the end of it now.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "Hope we've dot to the end of it now.
exceedingly bad
From this reading "This is a horrid world," sighed Blossom.
be the source of pain
From this reading "Ow!" sobbed Blossom, "that hurt."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is a horrid world," sighed Blossom.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Hope we've dot to the end of it now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Hope we've dot to the end of it now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Hope we've dot to the end of it now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ow!" sobbed Blossom, "that hurt."
a small lake
From this reading Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
a mischievous sprite of English folklore
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading "This is a horrid world," sighed Blossom.
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading "Ow!" sobbed Blossom, "that hurt."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Ow!" sobbed Blossom, "that hurt."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This is a horrid world," sighed Blossom.
up to a particular time
From this reading Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Never mind," said Puck, comfortingly, "things never go right the first time; it'll be better by-and-by."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hope we've dot to the end of it now.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then they went and they went, till they came to a great big pond.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "This is a horrid world," sighed Blossom.
Chapter 4 of Harper's Young People, April 20, 1880 by Various holds 377 sentences, grouped into 76 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 377 sentences of Harper's Young People, April 20, 1880, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Harper's Young People, April 20, 1880 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 377 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 Harper's Young People, April 20, 1880 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 944 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28790 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28790, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 78 minutes of reading across 189 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Harper's Young People, April 20, 1880 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Harper's Young People, April 20, 1880 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 Harper's Young People, April 20, 1880, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
