Chapter 10 of The Child's Book of Nature is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Child's Book of Nature is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
STALKS AND TRUNKS. [Sidenote: Trunks of trees.] We speak of plants as having stalks, and of trees as having trunks. A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy. Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
Chapter 10 of The Child's Book of Nature is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading “Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.”
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading “A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.”
plural of “plant” — buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading “We speak of plants as having stalks, and of trees as having trunks.”
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading “Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.”
plural of “stalk” — material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
From this reading “STALKS AND TRUNKS.”
dependable
From this reading “A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.”
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading “A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.”
(used in the plural) trousers that end at or above the knee
From this reading “STALKS AND TRUNKS.”
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.
move outward
In this reading “Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.”
In this reading “Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.”
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 tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading STALKS AND TRUNKS.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading We speak of plants as having stalks, and of trees as having trunks.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
for the reason that
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading We speak of plants as having stalks, and of trees as having trunks.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading [Sidenote: Trunks of trees.]
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
plural of “plant” — buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading We speak of plants as having stalks, and of trees as having trunks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: Trunks of trees.]
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
express in speech
From this reading We speak of plants as having stalks, and of trees as having trunks.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
plural of “stalk” — material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
From this reading STALKS AND TRUNKS.
dependable
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
the upper part of anything
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading [Sidenote: Trunks of trees.]
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading A tree has a stout firm trunk, because its top is so large and heavy.
(used in the plural) trousers that end at or above the knee
From this reading STALKS AND TRUNKS.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We speak of plants as having stalks, and of trees as having trunks.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Its branches spread out so much, that the tree would be broken down by the wind if it did not have a strong trunk.
Chapter 10 of The Child's Book of Nature by Worthington Hooker holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 10 holds 175 sentences of The Child's Book of Nature, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Child's Book of Nature by Worthington Hooker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 10 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.
