Chapter 9 of The Child's Book of Nature is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Child's Book of Nature is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE COVERINGS OF THE BUDS. [Sidenote: Scales of the horse-chestnut bud.] You remember that I mentioned to you the brown scales on the buds of the horse-chestnut. I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring. These scales are quite thick, as you can see.
Chapter 9 of The Child's Book of Nature is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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 partially opened flower
From this reading “[Sidenote: Scales of the horse-chestnut bud.]”
plural of “bud” — a partially opened flower
From this reading “THE COVERINGS OF THE BUDS.”
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading “I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.”
plural of “covering” — a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading “THE COVERINGS OF THE BUDS.”
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading “You remember that I mentioned to you the brown scales on the buds of the horse-chestnut.”
plural of “scale” — an ordered reference standard
From this reading “[Sidenote: Scales of the horse-chestnut bud.]”
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.”
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading “These scales are quite thick, as you can see.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading These scales are quite thick, as you can see.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading You remember that I mentioned to you the brown scales on the buds of the horse-chestnut.
a partially opened flower
From this reading [Sidenote: Scales of the horse-chestnut bud.]
plural of “bud” — a partially opened flower
From this reading THE COVERINGS OF THE BUDS.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading These scales are quite thick, as you can see.
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 I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
plural of “covering” — a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading THE COVERINGS OF THE BUDS.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: Scales of the horse-chestnut bud.]
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You remember that I mentioned to you the brown scales on the buds of the horse-chestnut.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading You remember that I mentioned to you the brown scales on the buds of the horse-chestnut.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE COVERINGS OF THE BUDS.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You remember that I mentioned to you the brown scales on the buds of the horse-chestnut.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading These scales are quite thick, as you can see.
To recall to mind.
From this reading You remember that I mentioned to you the brown scales on the buds of the horse-chestnut.
plural of “scale” — an ordered reference standard
From this reading [Sidenote: Scales of the horse-chestnut bud.]
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading These scales are quite thick, as you can see.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: Scales of the horse-chestnut bud.]
the season of growth
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
express in words
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You remember that I mentioned to you the brown scales on the buds of the horse-chestnut.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE COVERINGS OF THE BUDS.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading These scales are quite thick, as you can see.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You remember that I mentioned to you the brown scales on the buds of the horse-chestnut.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading I will tell you what these scales are for: they cover up the tender bud from the cold of winter and early spring.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You remember that I mentioned to you the brown scales on the buds of the horse-chestnut.
Chapter 9 of The Child's Book of Nature by Worthington Hooker holds 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 9 holds 212 sentences of The Child's Book of Nature, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Child's Book of Nature by Worthington Hooker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 9 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 Child's Book of Nature by Worthington Hooker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8841 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58421 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58421, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1769 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Child's Book of Nature section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Child's Book of Nature 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 Child's Book of Nature, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
