Chapter 4 of The Castaways of Pete's Patch is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Castaways of Pete's Patch is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it? I'm starved." Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully. "The thing's stopped," said he, shaking it. "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
Chapter 4 of The Castaways of Pete's Patch is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading “"I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.”
stretch (the neck) so as to see better
From this reading “A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?”
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
From this reading “A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?”
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading “A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?”
in a rueful manner
From this reading “Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.”
suffering from lack of food
From this reading “I'm starved."”
possessive form of “thing” — a special situation
From this reading “"The thing's stopped," said he, shaking it.”
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading “"I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.”
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 A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.
a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
stretch (the neck) so as to see better
From this reading A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
in an expectant manner
From this reading Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The thing's stopped," said he, shaking it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm starved."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
on one occasion
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
From this reading A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?
in a rueful manner
From this reading Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The thing's stopped," said he, shaking it.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading "The thing's stopped," said he, shaking it.
suffering from lack of food
From this reading I'm starved."
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading "The thing's stopped," said he, shaking it.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The thing's stopped," said he, shaking it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.
possessive form of “thing” — a special situation
From this reading "The thing's stopped," said he, shaking it.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
look attentively
From this reading Mr. Black looked at his watch, at first expectantly, then ruefully.
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading A Predicament "PETER," queried Mrs. Crane, "what time is it?
at the time that
From this reading "I dropped it out a couple of times when I was under the Whale, and once it struck a boulder.
Chapter 4 of The Castaways of Pete's Patch by Carroll Watson Rankin holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 139 sentences of The Castaways of Pete's Patch, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Castaways of Pete's Patch by Carroll Watson Rankin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Castaways of Pete's Patch by Carroll Watson Rankin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3087 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46386 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46386, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 257 minutes of reading across 618 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Castaways of Pete's Patch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Castaways of Pete's Patch 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 Castaways of Pete's Patch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
