Chapter 4 of The Story of Doctor Dolittle is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 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 of Doctor Dolittle is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him. “I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly. “And besides, they’re not dirty. They’ve all had a bath this morning. _Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.
Chapter 4 of The Story of Doctor Dolittle is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading “_Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.”
a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
From this reading “They’ve all had a bath this morning.”
the act of brushing your teeth
From this reading “_Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.”
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “_Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.”
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading ““And besides, they’re not dirty.”
large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading “Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.”
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading “_Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.”
with low volume
From this reading ““I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly.”
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 They’ve all had a bath this morning.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
(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 They’ve all had a bath this morning.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And besides, they’re not dirty.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading _Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.
a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
From this reading They’ve all had a bath this morning.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading “And besides, they’re not dirty.
the act of brushing your teeth
From this reading _Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading _Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly.
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading “And besides, they’re not dirty.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
take in solid food
From this reading “I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They’ve all had a bath this morning.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.
large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading _Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading They’ve all had a bath this morning.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading _Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
with low volume
From this reading “I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And besides, they’re not dirty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They’ve all had a bath this morning.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading They’ve all had a bath this morning.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading _Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
precisely as stated
From this reading Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to seem afraid of him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I didn’t ask you to eat them,” he said quietly.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Your_ coat looks as though it needed brushing—badly.
Chapter 4 of The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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.
Chapter 4 holds 218 sentences of The Story of Doctor Dolittle, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1715 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #501 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #501, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 142 minutes of reading across 343 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Story of Doctor Dolittle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Story of Doctor Dolittle 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 of Doctor Dolittle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
