Chapter 4 of Witty Pieces by Witty People is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Witty Pieces by Witty People is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed. Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window. One arm was stretched out in an attitude of supplication. A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him. Matilda's window opened.
Chapter 4 of Witty Pieces by Witty People is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading “One arm was stretched out in an attitude of supplication.”
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading “A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.”
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading “A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.”
past form of “cock” — tilt or slant to one side
From this reading “Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.”
an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes
From this reading “A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.”
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading “A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.”
exalted emotionally especially with pride
From this reading “Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.”
in a wary manner
From this reading “A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.”
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 “A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.”
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 A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading One arm was stretched out in an attitude of supplication.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading One arm was stretched out in an attitude of supplication.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading One arm was stretched out in an attitude of supplication.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.
past form of “cock” — tilt or slant to one side
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.
a long fixed look
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes
From this reading A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Matilda's window opened.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading One arm was stretched out in an attitude of supplication.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading One arm was stretched out in an attitude of supplication.
a prayer asking God's help as part of a religious service
From this reading One arm was stretched out in an attitude of supplication.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A male figure stood in the center of the onion-bed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.
exalted emotionally especially with pride
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
in a wary manner
From this reading A bush rustled as Trotters stole warily behind him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Its hat was cocked on one side, its gaze uplifted to Matilda's window.
Chapter 4 of Witty Pieces by Witty People by Various holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of Witty Pieces by Witty People, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Witty Pieces by Witty People by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Witty Pieces by Witty People by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2504 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43101 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43101, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 208 minutes of reading across 501 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Witty Pieces by Witty People section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Witty Pieces by Witty People 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 Witty Pieces by Witty People, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
