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The Little White Bird
The Little White Bird

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Little White Bird is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Little White Bird
Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.
She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”
His voice suddenly went husky.
She told me,” he said, if she died and I discovered him, to give him her love.”
At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Little White Bird

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Little White Bird is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.
/ɪt ɪz ʃiː huː ˌɪnˈsɪsts ðæt ɪt ɪz ˈɔːlweɪz ðə seɪm ˈpɜːrsən hiː sed/
Line 2
She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”
/ʃiː θɪŋks hiː wɪl meɪk hɪmˈself noʊn tuː miː ɪf ˈeniθɪŋ ˈhæpənz tuː hɜːr/
Line 3
His voice suddenly went husky.
/hɪz vɔɪs ˈsʌdənli went ˈhʌski/
Line 4
She told me,” he said, “if she died and I discovered him, to give him her love.”
/ʃiː toʊld miː hiː sed ɪf ʃiː daɪd ənd aɪ dɪˈskʌvərd hɪm tuː ɡɪv hɪm hɜːr lʌv/
Line 5
At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.
/æt ðɪs wiː ˈpɑːrtɪd əˈbrʌptli æz wiː dɪd æt ˈɪntərvəlz θruːˈaʊt ðə naɪt tuː drɪft təˈɡeðər əˈɡen ˈprezəntli/

Learner Dictionary

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.

abruptly adverb US /əˈbrʌptli/

quickly and without warning

From this reading “At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.”

drift verb US /drɪft/

be in motion due to some air or water current

From this reading “At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.”

happens verb US /ˈhæpənz/

third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading ““She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.””

husky adjective US /ˈhʌski/

muscular and heavily built

From this reading “His voice suddenly went husky.”

insists verb US /ˌɪnˈsɪsts/

third-person singular of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

From this reading ““It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.”

intervals noun US /ˈɪntərvəlz/

plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants

From this reading “At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.”

parted adjective US /ˈpɑːrtɪd/

having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes

From this reading “At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.”

throughout preposition US /θruːˈaʊt/

in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period

From this reading “At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

abruptlyadverbUS /əˈbrʌptli/

quickly and without warning

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading “She told me,” he said, “if she died and I discovered him, to give him her love.”

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading “She told me,” he said, “if she died and I discovered him, to give him her love.”

discoveredadjectiveUS /dɪˈskʌvərd/

discovered or determined by scientific observation

From this reading “She told me,” he said, “if she died and I discovered him, to give him her love.”

driftverbUS /drɪft/

be in motion due to some air or water current

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading “She told me,” he said, “if she died and I discovered him, to give him her love.”

happensverbUS /ˈhæpənz/

third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “She told me,” he said, “if she died and I discovered him, to give him her love.”

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His voice suddenly went husky.

huskyadjectiveUS /ˈhʌski/

muscular and heavily built

From this reading His voice suddenly went husky.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “She told me,” he said, “if she died and I discovered him, to give him her love.”

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

insistsverbUS /ˌɪnˈsɪsts/

third-person singular of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

intervalsnounUS /ˈɪntərvəlz/

plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading “She told me,” he said, “if she died and I discovered him, to give him her love.”

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

partedadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːrtɪd/

having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

personnounUS /ˈpɜːrsən/

a human being

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

presentlyadverbUS /ˈprezəntli/

in the near future

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

From this reading His voice suddenly went husky.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

thinksnounUS /θɪŋks/

plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

throughoutprepositionUS /θruːˈaʊt/

in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading “She told me,” he said, “if she died and I discovered him, to give him her love.”

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading His voice suddenly went husky.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading At this we parted abruptly, as we did at intervals throughout the night, to drift together again presently.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading His voice suddenly went husky.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading “It is she who insists that it is always the same person,” he said.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading “She thinks he will make himself known to me if anything happens to her.”

Chapter 4 of The Little White Bird by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

What does chapter 4 of The Little White Bird contain?

Chapter 4 holds 167 sentences of The Little White Bird, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Little White Bird by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of The Little White Bird?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Little White Bird

Common questions about reading The Little White Bird by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Little White Bird?

Yes. All 2966 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1376 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Little White Bird is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1376, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Little White Bird take to read?

About 247 minutes of reading across 594 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Little White Bird section by section

How to work through The Little White Bird section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Little White Bird to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Little White Bird

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Little White Bird, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Sometimes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little White Bird; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Little
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little White Bird; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Calls
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little White Bird; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Father
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little White Bird; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.