Chapter 4 of The Story My Doggie Told to Me is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Story My Doggie Told to Me is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too. Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing. When she did she cried “Cook! Cook! One of the Puppies has eaten the starch!”
Chapter 4 of The Story My Doggie Told to Me is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading “One of the Puppies has eaten the starch!””
make a sweeping movement
From this reading “Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.”
plural of “puppy” — a young dog
From this reading “One of the Puppies has eaten the starch!””
a young dog
From this reading “PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.”
a complex carbohydrate found chiefly in seeds, fruits, tubers, roots and stem pith of plants, notably in corn, potatoes, wheat, and rice
From this reading “One of the Puppies has eaten the starch!””
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading “Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.”
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading “PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.”
resembling milk in color; not clear
From this reading “Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.”
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.
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.”
In this reading “PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.”
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 PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading When she did she cried “Cook!
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading When she did she cried “Cook!
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading When she did she cried “Cook!
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
take in solid food
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading One of the Puppies has eaten the starch!”
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
set up or found
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One of the Puppies has eaten the starch!”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
on one occasion
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the Puppies has eaten the starch!”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
make a sweeping movement
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
plural of “puppy” — a young dog
From this reading One of the Puppies has eaten the starch!”
a young dog
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
a complex carbohydrate found chiefly in seeds, fruits, tubers, roots and stem pith of plants, notably in corn, potatoes, wheat, and rice
From this reading One of the Puppies has eaten the starch!”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading PUPPY TROUBLES We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too.
at the time that
From this reading When she did she cried “Cook!
resembling milk in color; not clear
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I was doing.
Chapter 4 of The Story My Doggie Told to Me by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 78 sentences of The Story My Doggie Told to Me, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Story My Doggie Told to Me by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Story My Doggie Told to Me by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1893 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65001 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65001, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 157 minutes of reading across 379 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Story My Doggie Told to Me section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Story My Doggie Told to Me 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 Story My Doggie Told to Me, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
