Chapter 4 of The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Dance on, bright eyes who can see. Dance on, children who mock a poor blind boy. Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags." And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be. And they will be still more tired before all is done.
Chapter 4 of The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “Dance on, children who mock a poor blind boy.”
an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading “"Dance on, bright eyes who can see.”
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading “And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.”
treat with contempt
From this reading “Dance on, children who mock a poor blind boy.”
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.”
plural of “wag” — a witty amusing person who makes jokes
From this reading “Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."”
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading “And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.”
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 Dance on, children who mock a poor blind boy.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And they will be still more tired before all is done.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And they will be still more tired before all is done.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading Dance on, children who mock a poor blind boy.
a youthful male person
From this reading Dance on, children who mock a poor blind boy.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading "Dance on, bright eyes who can see.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Dance on, bright eyes who can see.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Dance on, children who mock a poor blind boy.
an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading "Dance on, bright eyes who can see.
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading And they will be still more tired before all is done.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Dance on, bright eyes who can see.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."
treat with contempt
From this reading Dance on, children who mock a poor blind boy.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading And they will be still more tired before all is done.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Dance on, bright eyes who can see.
above and across; more than
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Dance on, children who mock a poor blind boy.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Dance on, bright eyes who can see.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."
not in physical motion
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
plural of “wag” — a witty amusing person who makes jokes
From this reading Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."
which person or people
From this reading "Dance on, bright eyes who can see.
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading And it is said that the wicked children are still dancing, over the world and back, around and around, tired though they must be.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And they will be still more tired before all is done.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Dance on,--and never stop so long as the world wags."
Chapter 4 of The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown holds 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 458 sentences of The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2256 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28990 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28990, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 188 minutes of reading across 452 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts 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 The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
