Chapter 4 of The Japanese Twins is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Japanese Twins is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea. "I know what I'll do. I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said. "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden. Out by the well the maids were drawing water.
Chapter 4 of The Japanese Twins is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “Out by the well the maids were drawing water.”
the act of consuming food
From this reading “While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.”
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading “"Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.”
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading “I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.”
plural of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading “Out by the well the maids were drawing water.”
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “"Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.”
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading “While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.”
edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants
From this reading “While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.”
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 While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Out by the well the maids were drawing water.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I know what I'll do.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading Out by the well the maids were drawing water.
the act of consuming food
From this reading While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I know what I'll do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I know what I'll do.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I know what I'll do.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.
plural of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading Out by the well the maids were drawing water.
engage in
From this reading I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.
a particular point in time
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Out by the well the maids were drawing water.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.
carry out
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants
From this reading While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Out by the well the maids were drawing water.
(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 Out by the well the maids were drawing water.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I know what I'll do.
during the time that
From this reading While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take, The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.
Chapter 4 of The Japanese Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 411 sentences of The Japanese Twins, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Japanese Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Japanese Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3496 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3496, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 138 minutes of reading across 332 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Japanese Twins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Japanese Twins 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 Japanese Twins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
