Chapter 4 of Little Fuzzy is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Little Fuzzy is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"They have artistic sense," Van Riebeek said. "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing." "Good engineering, too," Jack said. "They understand balance and center-of-gravity. They're bracing it well, and not making it top-heavy."
Chapter 4 of Little Fuzzy is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically
From this reading “"I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."”
relating to or characteristic of art or artists
From this reading “"They have artistic sense," Van Riebeek said.”
bring into balance or equilibrium
From this reading “"They understand balance and center-of-gravity.”
a structural member used to stiffen a framework
From this reading “They're bracing it well, and not making it top-heavy."”
the practical application of technical and scientific knowledge to commerce or industry
From this reading “"Good engineering, too," Jack said.”
a large number or amount
From this reading “"I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."”
a three-dimensional work of plastic art
From this reading “"I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “"They have artistic sense," Van Riebeek said.”
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.
consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "They understand balance and center-of-gravity.
relating to or characteristic of art or artists
From this reading "They have artistic sense," Van Riebeek said.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
bring into balance or equilibrium
From this reading "They understand balance and center-of-gravity.
a structural member used to stiffen a framework
From this reading They're bracing it well, and not making it top-heavy."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They understand balance and center-of-gravity.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
the practical application of technical and scientific knowledge to commerce or industry
From this reading "Good engineering, too," Jack said.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "They have artistic sense," Van Riebeek said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They're bracing it well, and not making it top-heavy."
a small worthless amount
From this reading "Good engineering, too," Jack said.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
a large number or amount
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading They're bracing it well, and not making it top-heavy."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They're bracing it well, and not making it top-heavy."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They have artistic sense," Van Riebeek said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "They have artistic sense," Van Riebeek said.
a three-dimensional work of plastic art
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
a general conscious awareness
From this reading "They have artistic sense," Van Riebeek said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They have artistic sense," Van Riebeek said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Good engineering, too," Jack said.
unstable by being overloaded at the top
From this reading They're bracing it well, and not making it top-heavy."
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "They understand balance and center-of-gravity.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading "They have artistic sense," Van Riebeek said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've seen lots of abstract sculpture that wasn't half as good as that job they're doing."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading They're bracing it well, and not making it top-heavy."
Chapter 4 of Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of Little Fuzzy, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4382 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18137 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18137, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 877 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Little Fuzzy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Little Fuzzy 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 Fuzzy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
