Chapter 4 of The Cinder Pond is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Cinder Pond is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack. "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy. Your pa wants you to say your lessons, Jeanne. I gotta go up town after yeast. Come along, Mollie, we can go now.
Chapter 4 of The Cinder Pond is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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 “lesson” — a unit of instruction
From this reading “Your pa wants you to say your lessons, Jeanne.”
popular aquarium fish
From this reading “Come along, Mollie, we can go now.”
a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading “"Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.”
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading “WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.”
United States electrical engineer who pioneered mathematical communication theory (1916-2001)
From this reading “WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.”
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 “WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.”
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “"Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.”
a commercial leavening agent containing yeast cells; used to raise the dough in making bread and for fermenting beer or whiskey
From this reading “I gotta go up town after yeast.”
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.
come into being or existence, or appear on the scene
In this reading “Come along, Mollie, we can go now.”
In this reading “WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.”
move upward
In this reading “I gotta go up town after yeast.”
In this reading “WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading I gotta go up town after yeast.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Come along, Mollie, we can go now.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Come along, Mollie, we can go now.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come along, Mollie, we can go now.
in an ill-natured manner
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I gotta go up town after yeast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I gotta go up town after yeast.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I gotta go up town after yeast.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Your pa wants you to say your lessons, Jeanne.
plural of “lesson” — a unit of instruction
From this reading Your pa wants you to say your lessons, Jeanne.
popular aquarium fish
From this reading Come along, Mollie, we can go now.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Come along, Mollie, we can go now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Your pa wants you to say your lessons, Jeanne.
a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
express in words
From this reading Your pa wants you to say your lessons, Jeanne.
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
United States electrical engineer who pioneered mathematical communication theory (1916-2001)
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading I gotta go up town after yeast.
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 WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading "Hurry up and put Sammy and Annie to bed and don't wake Patsy.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading Your pa wants you to say your lessons, Jeanne.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Come along, Mollie, we can go now.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
in or at the place that
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
a commercial leavening agent containing yeast cells; used to raise the dough in making bread and for fermenting beer or whiskey
From this reading I gotta go up town after yeast.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading WHAT WAS IN AN OLD TRUNK "Where you been?" demanded Mrs. Shannon, crossly, from the doorway of the shack.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Your pa wants you to say your lessons, Jeanne.
Chapter 4 of The Cinder Pond by Carroll Watson Rankin holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 198 sentences of The Cinder Pond, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Cinder Pond by Carroll Watson Rankin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Cinder Pond by Carroll Watson Rankin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3964 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36119 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36119, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 793 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cinder Pond section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Cinder Pond 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 Cinder Pond, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
