Chapter 4 of Old Peter's Russian Tales is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Old Peter's Russian Tales is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily. Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide. "It will be best to climb trees," says the bear. "I shall go up to the top of this fir." "But what am I to do?" says the wolf.
Chapter 4 of Old Peter's Russian Tales is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “"It will be best to climb trees," says the bear.”
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading “The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.”
nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading “"I shall go up to the top of this fir."”
swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs; young born furred and with open eyes
From this reading “The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.”
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.”
at the same time but in another place
From this reading “Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.”
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.”
any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs
From this reading “Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "But what am I to do?" says the wolf.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It will be best to climb trees," says the bear.
have
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "It will be best to climb trees," says the bear.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But what am I to do?" says the wolf.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading "It will be best to climb trees," says the bear.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "But what am I to do?" says the wolf.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading "I shall go up to the top of this fir."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs; young born furred and with open eyes
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I shall go up to the top of this fir."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It will be best to climb trees," says the bear.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
at the same time but in another place
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I shall go up to the top of this fir."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "It will be best to climb trees," says the bear.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "I shall go up to the top of this fir."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I shall go up to the top of this fir."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The hare ran off as hard as he could go, glad to have escaped so easily.
the upper part of anything
From this reading "I shall go up to the top of this fir."
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading "It will be best to climb trees," says the bear.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "I shall go up to the top of this fir."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "But what am I to do?" says the wolf.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "It will be best to climb trees," says the bear.
any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs
From this reading Meanwhile the wolf and the bear looked about for good places in which to hide.
Chapter 4 of Old Peter's Russian Tales by Arthur Ransome holds 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 447 sentences of Old Peter's Russian Tales, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Old Peter's Russian Tales by Arthur Ransome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Old Peter's Russian Tales by Arthur Ransome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3961 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16981 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16981, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 793 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Peter's Russian Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Old Peter's Russian Tales 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 Old Peter's Russian Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
