Chapter 4 of Woodcraft is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Woodcraft is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MORE RUMBLINGS OF COMING TROUBLE. "WHEW! you don't say!" exclaimed Larry, frowning. "Takes my breath away, that's what!" gasped Jasper. "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer. "Well, I know that Matt pretty well," grumbled Larry.
Chapter 4 of Woodcraft is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “"Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.”
United States writer noted for his typographically eccentric poetry (1894-1962)
From this reading “"Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.”
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading “"WHEW! you don't say!" exclaimed Larry, frowning.”
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading “"Well, I know that Matt pretty well," grumbled Larry.”
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading “"Takes my breath away, that's what!" gasped Jasper.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “"Well, I know that Matt pretty well," grumbled Larry.”
plural of “rumbling” — a loud low dull continuous noise
From this reading “MORE RUMBLINGS OF COMING TROUBLE.”
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.
observe with attention
In this reading “"Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.”
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 "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Takes my breath away, that's what!" gasped Jasper.
the two together, not just one
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading "Takes my breath away, that's what!" gasped Jasper.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
past form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading MORE RUMBLINGS OF COMING TROUBLE.
United States writer noted for his typographically eccentric poetry (1894-1962)
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "WHEW! you don't say!" exclaimed Larry, frowning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "WHEW! you don't say!" exclaimed Larry, frowning.
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading "WHEW! you don't say!" exclaimed Larry, frowning.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "Takes my breath away, that's what!" gasped Jasper.
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading "Well, I know that Matt pretty well," grumbled Larry.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I know that Matt pretty well," grumbled Larry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading "Takes my breath away, that's what!" gasped Jasper.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Well, I know that Matt pretty well," grumbled Larry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "WHEW! you don't say!" exclaimed Larry, frowning.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading "Well, I know that Matt pretty well," grumbled Larry.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading MORE RUMBLINGS OF COMING TROUBLE.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Takes my breath away, that's what!" gasped Jasper.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MORE RUMBLINGS OF COMING TROUBLE.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "Well, I know that Matt pretty well," grumbled Larry.
plural of “rumbling” — a loud low dull continuous noise
From this reading MORE RUMBLINGS OF COMING TROUBLE.
express in words
From this reading "WHEW! you don't say!" exclaimed Larry, frowning.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading "Takes my breath away, that's what!" gasped Jasper.
a word or expression used for some particular thing
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Takes my breath away, that's what!" gasped Jasper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
a source of difficulty
From this reading MORE RUMBLINGS OF COMING TROUBLE.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I know that Matt pretty well," grumbled Larry.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Takes my breath away, that's what!" gasped Jasper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "WHEW! you don't say!" exclaimed Larry, frowning.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Seems to me that both of you look on the event in the light of what my chum, Mark Cummings, would term a _catastrophe_!" chuckled Elmer.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "WHEW! you don't say!" exclaimed Larry, frowning.
Chapter 4 of Woodcraft by Alan, Captain Douglas holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 98 sentences of Woodcraft, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Woodcraft by Alan, Captain Douglas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Woodcraft by Alan, Captain Douglas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37167 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37167, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 190 minutes of reading across 458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Woodcraft section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Woodcraft 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 Woodcraft, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
