Chapter 4 of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them. Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up. When we were right close uncle turned and grinned at us. “Comp’ny, boys,” says he. Then he poked his finger at one visitor.
Chapter 4 of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading “Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.”
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading “Then he poked his finger at one visitor.”
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “When we were right close uncle turned and grinned at us.”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.”
past form of “poke” — poke or thrust abruptly
From this reading “Then he poked his finger at one visitor.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.”
someone who visits
From this reading “Then he poked his finger at one visitor.”
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 “Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.”
bring forth, usually something desirable
In this reading “Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.”
In this reading “Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.”
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 Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
any thing at all
From this reading Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When we were right close uncle turned and grinned at us.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “Comp’ny, boys,” says he.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading When we were right close uncle turned and grinned at us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Comp’ny, boys,” says he.
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading Then he poked his finger at one visitor.
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading When we were right close uncle turned and grinned at us.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Comp’ny, boys,” says he.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then he poked his finger at one visitor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
the force of workers available
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Then he poked his finger at one visitor.
past form of “poke” — poke or thrust abruptly
From this reading Then he poked his finger at one visitor.
precisely, exactly
From this reading When we were right close uncle turned and grinned at us.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “Comp’ny, boys,” says he.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he poked his finger at one visitor.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading When we were right close uncle turned and grinned at us.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When we were right close uncle turned and grinned at us.
someone who visits
From this reading Then he poked his finger at one visitor.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Nobody seemed to be saying anything as we came up.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Two men were sitting on the steps, and uncle, tilted back in a chair, was facing them.
at the time that
From this reading When we were right close uncle turned and grinned at us.
Chapter 4 of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods by Clarence Budington Kelland holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 220 sentences of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods by Clarence Budington Kelland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Mark Tidd in the Backwoods by Clarence Budington Kelland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4733 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57197 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57197, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 394 minutes of reading across 947 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mark Tidd in the Backwoods section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods 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 Mark Tidd in the Backwoods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
