Chapter 24 of The Child's Book of Nature is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Child's Book of Nature is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOW MAN IS SUPERIOR TO ANIMALS. [Sidenote: Man’s superiority in his mind.] You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do. It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals. But this is not true.
Chapter 24 of The Child's Book of Nature is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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 “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “HOW MAN IS SUPERIOR TO ANIMALS.”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading “HOW MAN IS SUPERIOR TO ANIMALS.”
the quality of being superior
From this reading “[Sidenote: Man’s superiority in his mind.]”
for that reason; as a result
From this reading “It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.”
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “But this is not true.”
a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
From this reading “You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.”
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.
In this reading “You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.”
In this reading “It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.”
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 You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading HOW MAN IS SUPERIOR TO ANIMALS.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this is not true.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading [Sidenote: Man’s superiority in his mind.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW MAN IS SUPERIOR TO ANIMALS.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading [Sidenote: Man’s superiority in his mind.]
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading HOW MAN IS SUPERIOR TO ANIMALS.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading HOW MAN IS SUPERIOR TO ANIMALS.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading [Sidenote: Man’s superiority in his mind.]
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading [Sidenote: Man’s superiority in his mind.]
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: Man’s superiority in his mind.]
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading HOW MAN IS SUPERIOR TO ANIMALS.
the quality of being superior
From this reading [Sidenote: Man’s superiority in his mind.]
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
a special situation
From this reading It has been said, therefore, by some that the hand is the great thing that makes man superior to animals.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this is not true.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading HOW MAN IS SUPERIOR TO ANIMALS.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading But this is not true.
a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
in the company of; together with
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You see, from what I have told you, that man can do with his hands a great variety of things that animals can not do.
Chapter 24 of The Child's Book of Nature by Worthington Hooker holds 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 24 holds 268 sentences of The Child's Book of Nature, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Child's Book of Nature by Worthington Hooker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 24 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.
