Chapter 4 of Swamp Island is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Swamp Island is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter. "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once. "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins." "By the way, do you drive a car?" Salt questioned.
Chapter 4 of Swamp Island is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
-ing form of “describe” — give a description of
From this reading “Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.”
a Hebrew prophet of the 6th century BC who was exiled to Babylon in 587 BC
From this reading “"No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."”
English privateer involved in the slave trade; later helped build the fleet that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada (1532-1595)
From this reading “"No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."”
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading “"Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.”
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “Salt questioned.”
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading “Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.”
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading “Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.”
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading “"No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “"Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.”
In this reading “"By the way, do you drive a car?"”
In this reading “Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.”
introducing a different topic
In this reading “"By the way, do you drive a car?"”
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 "By the way, do you drive a car?"
any person at all
From this reading "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading "By the way, do you drive a car?"
taking care or paying attention
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
-ing form of “describe” — give a description of
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "By the way, do you drive a car?"
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading "By the way, do you drive a car?"
a Hebrew prophet of the 6th century BC who was exiled to Babylon in 587 BC
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.
English privateer involved in the slave trade; later helped build the fleet that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada (1532-1595)
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.
not any; not one
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
on one occasion
From this reading "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Salt questioned.
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "No one been by on this road since sundown 'cepting old Ezekiel Hawkins."
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Salt told of their search for Jerry, carefully describing the reporter.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "By the way, do you drive a car?"
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading "Hain't seen anyone like that," the Widow Jones said at once.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "By the way, do you drive a car?"
Chapter 4 of Swamp Island by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 437 sentences of Swamp Island, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Swamp Island by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Swamp Island by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3884 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35083 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35083, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 323 minutes of reading across 777 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Swamp Island section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Swamp Island 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 Swamp Island, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
