Chapter 4 of The Wishing Well is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Wishing Well is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time. Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled. "Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf. "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!" "Am I?" the older girl asked, smiling.
Chapter 4 of The Wishing Well is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading “"You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"”
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading “"You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"”
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading “"Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “"Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “"Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.”
past form of “search” — try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading “"Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.”
A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.
From this reading “"Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.”
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading “Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.”
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 “She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.”
In this reading “"Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.”
In this reading “She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.”
In this reading “"Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.”
In this reading “"Am I?" the older girl asked, smiling.”
In this reading “She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.”
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 was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Am I?" the older girl asked, smiling.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Am I?" the older girl asked, smiling.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading "Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
a young female
From this reading "Am I?" the older girl asked, smiling.
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading "Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Am I?" the older girl asked, smiling.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
a room where books are kept
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading "Am I?" the older girl asked, smiling.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading "Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
past form of “search” — try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading "Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.
From this reading "Hello, Rhoda," Penny greeted as she searched for a book on the shelf.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading "Am I?" the older girl asked, smiling.
not in physical motion
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was still thinking about the affair as she wandered into the library a few minutes before class time.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rhoda Wiegand sat at one of the tables and appeared troubled.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You must have an examination coming up from the way you are frowning!"
Chapter 4 of The Wishing Well by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of The Wishing Well, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Wishing Well by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Wishing Well by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3661 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34689 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34689, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 733 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wishing Well section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Wishing Well 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 Wishing Well, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
