Chapter 4 of John of the Woods is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of John of the Woods is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly. "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful. Beware, O King! Beware, King's son! For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
Chapter 4 of John of the Woods is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to
From this reading “Beware, O King!”
marked by eagerness to resort to violence and bloodshed
From this reading “"The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.”
inflected form of “distil” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops
From this reading “For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."”
third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading “"The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.”
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “"The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.”
one retired from society for religious reasons
From this reading “"Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.”
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “Beware, King's son!”
in an unfortunate way
From this reading “"Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.”
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 "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to
From this reading Beware, O King!
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
marked by eagerness to resort to violence and bloodshed
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
inflected form of “distil” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
one retired from society for religious reasons
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Beware, O King!
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Beware, King's son!
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading Beware, O King!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
in an unfortunate way
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
a male human offspring
From this reading "The second son follows in the footsteps of his brother, and like his father is cruel, bloodthirsty, revengeful.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Ay," said the Hermit, pointing a finger at him and shaking it sadly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
but in spite of that
From this reading For happiness was never yet distilled from innocent blood, nor life from death."
Chapter 4 of John of the Woods by Abbie Farwell Brown holds 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 461 sentences of John of the Woods, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of John of the Woods by Abbie Farwell Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 John of the Woods by Abbie Farwell Brown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2706 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13905 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13905, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 225 minutes of reading across 542 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through John of the Woods section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of John of the Woods 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 John of the Woods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
