Chapter 4 of Robin is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Robin is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand. She had just come upon it among some papers. She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live. It was the key which gave entrance to the Gardens. Each householder possessed one.
Chapter 4 of Robin is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading “She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.”
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading “She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.”
plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading “It was the key which gave entrance to the Gardens.”
someone who owns a home
From this reading “Each householder possessed one.”
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.”
past form of “lacquer” — coat with lacquer
From this reading “She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.”
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading “Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.”
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 Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
later than; following
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading She had just come upon it among some papers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She had just come upon it among some papers.
without stop or interruption
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each householder possessed one.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading It was the key which gave entrance to the Gardens.
plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading It was the key which gave entrance to the Gardens.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading It was the key which gave entrance to the Gardens.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had just come upon it among some papers.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
someone who owns a home
From this reading Each householder possessed one.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had just come upon it among some papers.
and nothing more
From this reading She had just come upon it among some papers.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
past form of “lacquer” — coat with lacquer
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Each householder possessed one.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading She had just come upon it among some papers.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading Each householder possessed one.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She had just come upon it among some papers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Robin sat at the desk in her private room and looked at a key she held in her hand.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She had just come upon it among some papers.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the key which gave entrance to the Gardens.
at the time that
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She had put it into a narrow lacquered box when she arranged her belongings, after she left the house in which her mother continued to live.
Chapter 4 of Robin by Frances Hodgson Burnett holds 300 sentences, grouped into 60 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 300 sentences of Robin, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Robin by Frances Hodgson Burnett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 300 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 Robin by Frances Hodgson Burnett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6686 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18945 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18945, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 557 minutes of reading across 1338 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Robin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 43 chapters of Robin 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 Robin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
