Chapter 4 of The Cowardly Lion of Oz is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Cowardly Lion of Oz is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes. To tell the truth, they were breathless. Then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan. "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly. "Yes, sir!" gulped the orphan, swallowing hard.
Chapter 4 of The Cowardly Lion of Oz is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading “To tell the truth, they were breathless.”
a rude or vulgar fool
From this reading “At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.”
past form of “gulp” — to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading “"Yes, sir!" gulped the orphan, swallowing hard.”
an established custom
From this reading “"Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “"Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.”
a child who has lost both parents
From this reading “Then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan.”
-ing form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “"Yes, sir!" gulped the orphan, swallowing hard.”
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading “"Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.”
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 “At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.”
In this reading “"Yes, sir!" gulped the orphan, swallowing hard.”
In this reading “To tell the truth, they were breathless.”
In this reading “Then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan.”
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 Then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
for the reason that
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
a youthful male person
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading To tell the truth, they were breathless.
a rude or vulgar fool
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
in a doubtful manner
From this reading Then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
past form of “gulp” — to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading "Yes, sir!" gulped the orphan, swallowing hard.
an established custom
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "Yes, sir!" gulped the orphan, swallowing hard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
a child who has lost both parents
From this reading Then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Yes, sir!" gulped the orphan, swallowing hard.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
-ing form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading "Yes, sir!" gulped the orphan, swallowing hard.
express in words
From this reading To tell the truth, they were breathless.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the Court of Mudge Neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading To tell the truth, they were breathless.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To tell the truth, they were breathless.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading To tell the truth, they were breathless.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading To tell the truth, they were breathless.
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading "Well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, sir!" gulped the orphan, swallowing hard.
Chapter 4 of The Cowardly Lion of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 121 sentences of The Cowardly Lion of Oz, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Cowardly Lion of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Cowardly Lion of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2903 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58765 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58765, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 241 minutes of reading across 581 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cowardly Lion of Oz section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Cowardly Lion of Oz 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 Cowardly Lion of Oz, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
