Chapter 4 of Woodland Tales is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Woodland Tales is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel. At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them. We know only that sometimes love must be cruel. I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August. And this is how it came about.
Chapter 4 of Woodland Tales is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 month following July and preceding September
From this reading “I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.”
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.”
an event that happens
From this reading “I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.”
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading “I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.”
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading “At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.”
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading “Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.”
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading “We know only that sometimes love must be cruel.”
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 I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading And this is how it came about.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading We know only that sometimes love must be cruel.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And this is how it came about.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
the act of departing
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
an event that happens
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And this is how it came about.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And this is how it came about.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading We know only that sometimes love must be cruel.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading We know only that sometimes love must be cruel.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
and nothing more
From this reading We know only that sometimes love must be cruel.
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading We know only that sometimes love must be cruel.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
express in words
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Strange things are done in the realm of Mother Carey; strange things and cruel.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And this is how it came about.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading At least so they seem to us, for we do not know the plan that is behind them.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I am going to tell you of a strange happening, that you may see any hot day in August.
Chapter 4 of Woodland Tales by Ernest Thompson Seton holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of Woodland Tales, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Woodland Tales by Ernest Thompson Seton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Woodland Tales by Ernest Thompson Seton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23667 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23667, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 206 minutes of reading across 496 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Woodland Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Woodland 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 Woodland Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
