Chapter 4 of Toto, the Bustling Beaver is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Toto, the Bustling Beaver is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill. “What’s the matter?” asked Don, the dog. “Are you afraid because I told you about the tramps?” “Oh, no,” answered Toto. “But didn’t you hear that thumping sound just now?”
Chapter 4 of Toto, the Bustling Beaver is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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 soft brown fur of the beaver
From this reading “TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.”
full of energetic and noisy activity
From this reading “TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.”
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading “TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.”
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading ““What’s the matter?” asked Don, the dog.”
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.”
a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
From this reading “TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.”
a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading ““But didn’t you hear that thumping sound just now?””
plural of “tramp” — a vagrant
From this reading “TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.”
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 “TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.”
In this reading “TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.”
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 TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Are you afraid because I told you about the tramps?”
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading “Are you afraid because I told you about the tramps?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Oh, no,” answered Toto.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Are you afraid because I told you about the tramps?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What’s the matter?” asked Don, the dog.
the soft brown fur of the beaver
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
for the reason that
From this reading “Are you afraid because I told you about the tramps?”
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
full of energetic and noisy activity
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But didn’t you hear that thumping sound just now?”
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But didn’t you hear that thumping sound just now?”
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “What’s the matter?” asked Don, the dog.
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading “What’s the matter?” asked Don, the dog.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “But didn’t you hear that thumping sound just now?”
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Are you afraid because I told you about the tramps?”
and nothing more
From this reading “But didn’t you hear that thumping sound just now?”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “What’s the matter?” asked Don, the dog.
not any; not one
From this reading “Oh, no,” answered Toto.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “But didn’t you hear that thumping sound just now?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, no,” answered Toto.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “But didn’t you hear that thumping sound just now?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading “But didn’t you hear that thumping sound just now?”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “Are you afraid because I told you about the tramps?”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
plural of “tramp” — a vagrant
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading TOTO AND THE TRAMPS Toto, the bustling beaver, ran as fast as he could and took shelter under a big rock that made a place like a little cave on the side of the hill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s the matter?” asked Don, the dog.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Are you afraid because I told you about the tramps?”
Chapter 4 of Toto, the Bustling Beaver by Richard Barnum holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 165 sentences of Toto, the Bustling Beaver, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Toto, the Bustling Beaver by Richard Barnum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Toto, the Bustling Beaver by Richard Barnum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1661 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62794 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62794, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 138 minutes of reading across 333 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Toto, the Bustling Beaver section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Toto, the Bustling Beaver 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 Toto, the Bustling Beaver, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
