Chapter 4 of Little Alfred is here in full — 21 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Little Alfred is here in full — 21 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SNOW. How beautiful the earth is now! The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time! MARY HOWITT. IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
Chapter 4 of Little Alfred is here in full — 21 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/4 · 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.
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading “IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.”
any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading “The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!”
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!”
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading “The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!”
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading “The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!”
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading “IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.”
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading “THE SNOW.”
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading “The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!”
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 “IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.”
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.
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
in addition
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading How beautiful the earth is now!
any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading How beautiful the earth is now!
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How beautiful the earth is now!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MARY HOWITT.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How beautiful the earth is now!
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading MARY HOWITT.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading How beautiful the earth is now!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
express in words
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading THE SNOW.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SNOW.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
without beauty or charm
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
something that covers or cloaks like a garment
From this reading The hills have put their vesture on, And clothed is the forest bough: Say not ’tis an unlovely time!
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading IF the summer season and the spring-time were pleasant to little Alfred, so also were the winter hours.
Chapter 4 of Little Alfred by L. A. (Lydia Austin), -1879 Holdich holds 21 sentences, grouped into 5 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 21 sentences of Little Alfred, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Little Alfred by L. A. (Lydia Austin), -1879 Holdich exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 21 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 Little Alfred by L. A. (Lydia Austin), -1879 Holdich on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1165 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62941 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62941, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 97 minutes of reading across 233 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Little Alfred section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Little Alfred 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 Little Alfred, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
