Chapter 4 of Verotchka's Tales is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Verotchka's Tales is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Canary agreed with everything. "Yes, you are a big bird," she would say. "Here you are. They keep parrots in cages and look after them. Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?
Chapter 4 of Verotchka's Tales is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “The Canary agreed with everything.”
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “"Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.”
plural of “cage” — an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading “They keep parrots in cages and look after them.”
someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police
From this reading “The Canary agreed with everything.”
all things; all of a situation
From this reading “The Canary agreed with everything.”
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading “Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?”
usually brightly colored zygodactyl tropical birds with short hooked beaks and the ability to mimic sounds
From this reading “Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?”
plural of “parrot” — usually brightly colored zygodactyl tropical birds with short hooked beaks and the ability to mimic sounds
From this reading “They keep parrots in cages and look after them.”
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.
keep under careful scrutiny
In this reading “They keep parrots in cages and look after them.”
In this reading “"Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.”
In this reading “Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?”
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 "Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.
later than; following
From this reading They keep parrots in cages and look after them.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading The Canary agreed with everything.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They keep parrots in cages and look after them.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading "Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.
plural of “cage” — an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading They keep parrots in cages and look after them.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?
someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police
From this reading The Canary agreed with everything.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading The Canary agreed with everything.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Here you are.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They keep parrots in cages and look after them.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading They keep parrots in cages and look after them.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They keep parrots in cages and look after them.
usually brightly colored zygodactyl tropical birds with short hooked beaks and the ability to mimic sounds
From this reading Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?
plural of “parrot” — usually brightly colored zygodactyl tropical birds with short hooked beaks and the ability to mimic sounds
From this reading They keep parrots in cages and look after them.
express in words
From this reading "Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Canary agreed with everything.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They keep parrots in cages and look after them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They keep parrots in cages and look after them.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Can you see why the foolish parrot is better than I?
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Canary agreed with everything.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Yes, you are a big bird," she would say.
Chapter 4 of Verotchka's Tales by D. N. (Dmitrii Narkisovich) Mamin-Siberiak holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of Verotchka's Tales, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Verotchka's Tales by D. N. (Dmitrii Narkisovich) Mamin-Siberiak exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Verotchka's Tales by D. N. (Dmitrii Narkisovich) Mamin-Siberiak on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2159 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35036 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35036, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 179 minutes of reading across 432 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Verotchka's Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Verotchka's Tales 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 Verotchka's Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
