Chapter 4 of The old man's bag is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The old man's bag is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire. She could see by his face that he was in a bad temper. But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea." "What is it?" said the old man, "a hen?" "No," she said, "people don't have hens for tea, do they?"
Chapter 4 of The old man's bag is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/5 · 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.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.”
annoyed and irritable
From this reading “But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."”
adult female chicken
From this reading “"What is it?" said the old man, "a hen?"”
plural of “hen” — adult female chicken
From this reading “"No," she said, "people don't have hens for tea, do they?"”
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading “But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."”
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading “She could see by his face that he was in a bad temper.”
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 She could see by his face that he was in a bad temper.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading She could see by his face that he was in a bad temper.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She could see by his face that he was in a bad temper.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "No," she said, "people don't have hens for tea, do they?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading She could see by his face that he was in a bad temper.
start firing a weapon
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
annoyed and irritable
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could see by his face that he was in a bad temper.
adult female chicken
From this reading "What is it?" said the old man, "a hen?"
plural of “hen” — adult female chicken
From this reading "No," she said, "people don't have hens for tea, do they?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it?" said the old man, "a hen?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it?" said the old man, "a hen?"
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
not any; not one
From this reading "No," she said, "people don't have hens for tea, do they?"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "No," she said, "people don't have hens for tea, do they?"
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She could see by his face that he was in a bad temper.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading She could see by his face that he was in a bad temper.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She could see by his face that he was in a bad temper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No," she said, "people don't have hens for tea, do they?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
precisely as stated
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it?" said the old man, "a hen?"
at the time that
From this reading When she got home the old man was sat in his chair by the fire.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But she went up to him and kissed him and said, "Please don't be grumpy, for I have brought you something very nice for your tea."
Chapter 4 of The old man's bag by T. W. H. (Thomas William Hodgson) Crosland holds 26 sentences, grouped into 6 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 26 sentences of The old man's bag, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The old man's bag by T. W. H. (Thomas William Hodgson) Crosland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 26 sentences, grouped into 6 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 6 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 6 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The old man's bag, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
