Chapter 4 of Jessie's Parrot is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Jessie's Parrot is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat. How is that?" "I don't care," answered Gracie, fretfully. "I don't believe I'll finish it. I'm tired of the old thing."
Chapter 4 of Jessie's Parrot is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
third-person singular of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “"Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “"Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “"I don't believe I'll finish it.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading “"Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.”
United States comedienne remembered as the confused but imperturbable partner of her husband, George Burns (1906-1964)
From this reading “"Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.”
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading “"Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.”
a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
From this reading “"Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “I'm tired of the old thing."”
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 this reading “"Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I don't care," answered Gracie, fretfully.
third-person singular of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "I don't believe I'll finish it.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "I don't care," answered Gracie, fretfully.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't care," answered Gracie, fretfully.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading "I don't believe I'll finish it.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
in a fretful manner
From this reading "I don't care," answered Gracie, fretfully.
United States comedienne remembered as the confused but imperturbable partner of her husband, George Burns (1906-1964)
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How is that?"
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't care," answered Gracie, fretfully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't believe I'll finish it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm tired of the old thing."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How is that?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I'm tired of the old thing."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading I'm tired of the old thing."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I'm tired of the old thing."
a special situation
From this reading I'm tired of the old thing."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading I'm tired of the old thing."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Gracie," said Mrs. Howard one morning after three or four days had passed, "it appears to me that you are not doing much on your mat.
Chapter 4 of Jessie's Parrot by Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe) Mathews holds 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 439 sentences of Jessie's Parrot, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Jessie's Parrot by Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe) Mathews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Jessie's Parrot by Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe) Mathews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1692 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44123 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44123, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 141 minutes of reading across 339 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jessie's Parrot section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Jessie's Parrot 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 Jessie's Parrot, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
