Chapter 4 of The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2 is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2 is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
X. Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees. Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade. XI. What a day it was, that day!
Chapter 4 of The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2 is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
plural of “bee” — any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading “Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.”
plural of “bough” — any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading “Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.”
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading “Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.”
above your head; in the sky
From this reading “Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.”
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading “Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.”
the rays of the sun
From this reading “Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.”
run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
From this reading “Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.”
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.
In this reading “Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.”
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 What a day it was, that day!
(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 Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
plural of “bee” — any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
plural of “bough” — any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading What a day it was, that day!
dearly loved
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What a day it was, that day!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
above your head; in the sky
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
the season of growth
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
the rays of the sun
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What a day it was, that day!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
From this reading Do not start so! think instead How the sunshine overhead Seemed to trickle through the shade.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What a day it was, that day!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What a day it was, that day!
at the time that
From this reading Dear, I heard thee in the spring, Thee and Robert--through the trees,-- When we all went gathering Boughs of May-bloom for the bees.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading X.
the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and one
From this reading XI.
Chapter 4 of The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning holds 323 sentences, grouped into 65 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 323 sentences of The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 323 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1909 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33363 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33363, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 159 minutes of reading across 382 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2 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 Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
