Chapter 4 of Windfalls is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Windfalls is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound. Overhead the sky is strewn with stars. Night and silence have triumphed. CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound. It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
Chapter 4 of Windfalls is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
plural of “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.”
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.”
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading “And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.”
plural of “insect” — small air-breathing arthropod
From this reading “And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.”
above your head; in the sky
From this reading “Overhead the sky is strewn with stars.”
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading “Overhead the sky is strewn with stars.”
move rhythmically
From this reading “It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.”
past form of “triumph” — prove superior
From this reading “Night and silence have triumphed.”
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 “Overhead the sky is strewn with stars.”
In this reading “It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.”
In this reading “CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.”
In this reading “CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.”
In this reading “It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.”
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 And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
plural of “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.
a small house with a single story
From this reading CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Night and silence have triumphed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
plural of “insect” — small air-breathing arthropod
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Overhead the sky is strewn with stars.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Night and silence have triumphed.
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
above your head; in the sky
From this reading Overhead the sky is strewn with stars.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Night and silence have triumphed.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Overhead the sky is strewn with stars.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Overhead the sky is strewn with stars.
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading Overhead the sky is strewn with stars.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
move rhythmically
From this reading It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
past form of “triumph” — prove superior
From this reading Night and silence have triumphed.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the “thump, thump, thump,” of a tail on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
at the time that
From this reading CHUM |When I turned the key in the door and entered the cottage, I missed a familiar sound.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Overhead the sky is strewn with stars.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading And the birds and the beasts and the insects are drowned, In an ocean of dreams without a sound.
Chapter 4 of Windfalls by A. G. (Alfred George) Gardiner holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of Windfalls, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Windfalls by A. G. (Alfred George) Gardiner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Windfalls by A. G. (Alfred George) Gardiner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3269 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47429 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47429, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 272 minutes of reading across 654 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Windfalls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Windfalls 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 Windfalls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
