Chapter 4 of The Wind in the Willows is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Wind in the Willows is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!” “Shan’t!” replied Toad, with great spirit. “What is the meaning of this gross outrage? I demand an instant explanation.” “Take them off him, then, you two,” ordered the Badger briefly.
Chapter 4 of The Wind in the Willows is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
annoy persistently
From this reading ““Take them off him, then, you two,” ordered the Badger briefly.”
for a short time
From this reading ““Take them off him, then, you two,” ordered the Badger briefly.”
an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading “I demand an instant explanation.””
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “I demand an instant explanation.””
before any deductions
From this reading ““What is the meaning of this gross outrage?”
a feeling of righteous anger
From this reading ““What is the meaning of this gross outrage?”
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading ““Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!””
any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
From this reading ““Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!””
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.
(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 “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I demand an instant explanation.”
annoy persistently
From this reading “Take them off him, then, you two,” ordered the Badger briefly.
for a short time
From this reading “Take them off him, then, you two,” ordered the Badger briefly.
an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading I demand an instant explanation.”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading I demand an instant explanation.”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “Shan’t!” replied Toad, with great spirit.
before any deductions
From this reading “What is the meaning of this gross outrage?
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Take them off him, then, you two,” ordered the Badger briefly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I demand an instant explanation.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading I demand an instant explanation.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is the meaning of this gross outrage?
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading “What is the meaning of this gross outrage?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading “Take them off him, then, you two,” ordered the Badger briefly.
a feeling of righteous anger
From this reading “What is the meaning of this gross outrage?
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Shan’t!” replied Toad, with great spirit.
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Shan’t!” replied Toad, with great spirit.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading “Shan’t!” replied Toad, with great spirit.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
carry out
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “What is the meaning of this gross outrage?
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “Take them off him, then, you two,” ordered the Badger briefly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is the meaning of this gross outrage?
at the time that
From this reading “Now then!” he said to the Toad, when the four of them stood together in the Hall, “first of all, take those ridiculous things off!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Shan’t!” replied Toad, with great spirit.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Take them off him, then, you two,” ordered the Badger briefly.
Chapter 4 of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 428 sentences of The Wind in the Willows, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wind in the Willows section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Wind in the Willows 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 Wind in the Willows, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
