Chapter 4 of Natural History is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Natural History is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip." "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house. But here we are at land. Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home." "We will.
Chapter 4 of Natural History is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
towards the shore from the water
From this reading “Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."”
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading “"Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip."”
plural of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."”
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."”
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading “Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."”
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."”
(often used with “pay”) a formal expression of esteem
From this reading “Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."”
predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey
From this reading “"Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip."”
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 “Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."”
In this reading “Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."”
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 "Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But here we are at land.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
towards the shore from the water
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But here we are at land.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But here we are at land.
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading "Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip."
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
plural of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading But here we are at land.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip."
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading But here we are at land.
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading "Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip."
(often used with “pay”) a formal expression of esteem
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey
From this reading "Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip."
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "Ah, this is a cunning spider, Uncle Philip."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
at the time that
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Not half so cunning, boys, as the one we talked of which built a door to its house.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "We will.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Jump ashore, my lads, and give my respects to your fathers and mothers, when you get home."
Chapter 4 of Natural History by Francis L. (Francis Lister) Hawks holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of Natural History, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Natural History by Francis L. (Francis Lister) Hawks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Natural History by Francis L. (Francis Lister) Hawks on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1695 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44377 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44377, 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 Natural History section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Natural History 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 Natural History, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
