Chapter 4 of The Insect Folk is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Insect Folk is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike. No wing covers, you see. I do not know why they have the name Odonata. The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen. But they certainly do not look like their parents!
Chapter 4 of The Insect Folk is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis
From this reading “The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.”
plural of “cover” — a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something
From this reading “No wing covers, you see.”
-ing form of “except” — take exception to
From this reading “The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.”
an interconnected system of things or people
From this reading “Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.”
not moving or operating freely
From this reading “Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.”
the middle region of the body of an arthropod between the head and the abdomen
From this reading “The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.”
plural of “vein” — a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart
From this reading “Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.”
a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
From this reading “No wing covers, you see.”
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 Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
equally
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But they certainly do not look like their parents!
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading But they certainly do not look like their parents!
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
plural of “cover” — a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something
From this reading No wing covers, you see.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not know why they have the name Odonata.
-ing form of “except” — take exception to
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I do not know why they have the name Odonata.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I do not know why they have the name Odonata.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I do not know why they have the name Odonata.
staying power
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading But they certainly do not look like their parents!
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading I do not know why they have the name Odonata.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
an interconnected system of things or people
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
not any; not one
From this reading No wing covers, you see.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I do not know why they have the name Odonata.
dragonflies and damselflies
From this reading I do not know why they have the name Odonata.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading No wing covers, you see.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
not moving or operating freely
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I do not know why they have the name Odonata.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
the middle region of the body of an arthropod between the head and the abdomen
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
plural of “vein” — a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading I do not know why they have the name Odonata.
a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
From this reading No wing covers, you see.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, Ned, they are stiff and covered with a close network of fine veins, and all four of them are alike.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading No wing covers, you see.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young Odonata are not like their parents, excepting that they have a head, a thorax with six legs, and an abdomen.
Chapter 4 of The Insect Folk by Margaret Warner Morley holds 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 458 sentences of The Insect Folk, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Insect Folk by Margaret Warner Morley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Insect Folk by Margaret Warner Morley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2690 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18790 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18790, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 224 minutes of reading across 538 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Insect Folk section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Insect Folk 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 Insect Folk, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
