Chapter 4 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOW BIRDS DRESS. In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries. Their coats and gowns are plainer. There are few extremes in color here, as there are few extremes in heat or cold. We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
Chapter 4 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
plural of “climate” — the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
From this reading “In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.”
plural of “coat” — an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “Their coats and gowns are plainer.”
a flag that shows its nationality
From this reading “In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.”
plural of “country” — a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.”
plural of “extreme” — the furthest or highest degree of something
From this reading “There are few extremes in color here, as there are few extremes in heat or cold.”
plural of “gown” — a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading “Their coats and gowns are plainer.”
comparative of “plain” — clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading “Their coats and gowns are plainer.”
(of weather or climate) free from extremes; mild; or characteristic of such weather or climate
From this reading “In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.”
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 “In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.”
In this reading “We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.”
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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Their coats and gowns are plainer.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Their coats and gowns are plainer.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading HOW BIRDS DRESS.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
plural of “climate” — the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
plural of “coat” — an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading Their coats and gowns are plainer.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading There are few extremes in color here, as there are few extremes in heat or cold.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading There are few extremes in color here, as there are few extremes in heat or cold.
a flag that shows its nationality
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
plural of “country” — a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
put on clothes
From this reading HOW BIRDS DRESS.
plural of “extreme” — the furthest or highest degree of something
From this reading There are few extremes in color here, as there are few extremes in heat or cold.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading There are few extremes in color here, as there are few extremes in heat or cold.
plural of “gown” — a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading Their coats and gowns are plainer.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading There are few extremes in color here, as there are few extremes in heat or cold.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading There are few extremes in color here, as there are few extremes in heat or cold.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW BIRDS DRESS.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There are few extremes in color here, as there are few extremes in heat or cold.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
comparative of “plain” — clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading Their coats and gowns are plainer.
any competition
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
express in words
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
(of weather or climate) free from extremes; mild; or characteristic of such weather or climate
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their coats and gowns are plainer.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There are few extremes in color here, as there are few extremes in heat or cold.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading In temperate climates like this birds do not dress in such bright colors as they do in hot countries.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We can tell almost any race or class of people by their style of dress or lack of dress.
Chapter 4 of Our Feathered Friends by Elizabeth Grinnell holds 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 53 sentences of Our Feathered Friends, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Our Feathered Friends by Elizabeth Grinnell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 Our Feathered Friends by Elizabeth Grinnell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1879 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64517 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64517, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 156 minutes of reading across 376 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Our Feathered Friends section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Our Feathered Friends 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 Our Feathered Friends, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
