Chapter 1 of Bird Stories and Dog Stories is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Bird Stories and Dog Stories is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DOG STORIES. CINCINNATI: WILLIAM T. TRUMAN. THE BIRD SOLDIER. Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side. But what are you firing at?
Chapter 1 of Bird Stories and Dog Stories is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “THE BIRD SOLDIER.”
a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
From this reading “Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.”
a city in southern Ohio on the Ohio river
From this reading “CINCINNATI: WILLIAM T. TRUMAN.”
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “DOG STORIES.”
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading “But what are you firing at?”
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading “THE BIRD SOLDIER.”
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “DOG STORIES.”
elected vice president in Roosevelt's 4th term; became 33rd President of the United States on Roosevelt's death in 1945 and was elected President in 1948; authorized the use of atomic bombs against Japan (1884-1972)
From this reading “CINCINNATI: WILLIAM T. TRUMAN.”
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But what are you firing at?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But what are you firing at?
(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 Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading THE BIRD SOLDIER.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what are you firing at?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
a city in southern Ohio on the Ohio river
From this reading CINCINNATI: WILLIAM T. TRUMAN.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading DOG STORIES.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading But what are you firing at?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading THE BIRD SOLDIER.
in the near future
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading DOG STORIES.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading CINCINNATI: WILLIAM T. TRUMAN.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BIRD SOLDIER.
elected vice president in Roosevelt's 4th term; became 33rd President of the United States on Roosevelt's death in 1945 and was elected President in 1948; authorized the use of atomic bombs against Japan (1884-1972)
From this reading CINCINNATI: WILLIAM T. TRUMAN.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what are you firing at?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CINCINNATI: WILLIAM T. TRUMAN.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Little bird! you had better let that cannon alone; I am afraid you will soon fall by its side.
Chapter 1 of Bird Stories and Dog Stories by Anonymous holds 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 1 holds 79 sentences of Bird Stories and Dog Stories, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Bird Stories and Dog Stories by Anonymous exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 1 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 Bird Stories and Dog Stories by Anonymous on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 79 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23310 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23310, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 6 minutes of reading across 16 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bird Stories and Dog Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Bird Stories and Dog Stories 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 Bird Stories and Dog Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
