Chapter 4 of The Little House is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Little House is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher. Then it hesitated. Another match was struck and it commenced to descend. On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain. The handle of the door was tried.
Chapter 4 of The Little House is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain.”
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Another match was struck and it commenced to descend.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading “Another match was struck and it commenced to descend.”
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading “On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain.”
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading “The handle of the door was tried.”
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading “HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.”
put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading “HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.”
lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
From this reading “On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain.”
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.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
In this reading “On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain.”
In this reading “HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.”
In this reading “The handle of the door was tried.”
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.
anew
From this reading On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another match was struck and it commenced to descend.
-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain.
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Another match was struck and it commenced to descend.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Another match was struck and it commenced to descend.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The handle of the door was tried.
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain.
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading The handle of the door was tried.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading Then it hesitated.
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then it hesitated.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading Another match was struck and it commenced to descend.
attach to a support
From this reading HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The handle of the door was tried.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Another match was struck and it commenced to descend.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then it hesitated.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.
put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading HE tread reached the landing and proceeded to mount higher.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading The handle of the door was tried.
lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
From this reading On arriving at the landing again, it halted uncertain.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Another match was struck and it commenced to descend.
Chapter 4 of The Little House by Coningsby Dawson holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 192 sentences of The Little House, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Little House by Coningsby Dawson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Little House by Coningsby Dawson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1163 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50274 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50274, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 96 minutes of reading across 233 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Little House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Little House 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 Little House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
