Chapter 15 of Bowser the Hound is here in full — 36 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Bowser the Hound is here in full — 36 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost. _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it? Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse. It wasn't because Reddy had no appetite. He was hungry, very hungry.
Chapter 15 of Bowser the Hound is here in full — 36 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/7 · 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 feeling of craving something
From this reading “It wasn't because Reddy had no appetite.”
possessive form of “brown” — an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading “Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.”
the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading “WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.”
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading “WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.”
a person who operates a farm
From this reading “Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.”
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading “_Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?”
a farm building for housing poultry
From this reading “Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.”
any of several breeds of dog used for hunting typically having large drooping ears
From this reading “_Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?”
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 WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
a feeling of craving something
From this reading It wasn't because Reddy had no appetite.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
for the reason that
From this reading It wasn't because Reddy had no appetite.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
(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 WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
possessive form of “brown” — an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It wasn't because Reddy had no appetite.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was hungry, very hungry.
a farm building for housing poultry
From this reading Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
any of several breeds of dog used for hunting typically having large drooping ears
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading He was hungry, very hungry.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
and nothing more
From this reading Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
not any; not one
From this reading It wasn't because Reddy had no appetite.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
precisely, exactly
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
arousing affect
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
precisely as stated
From this reading He was hungry, very hungry.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was hungry, very hungry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It wasn't because Reddy had no appetite.
(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, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown's henhouse.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Bowser the Hound._ Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and not touching it?
Chapter 15 of Bowser the Hound by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 36 sentences, grouped into 8 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 15 holds 36 sentences of Bowser the Hound, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Bowser the Hound by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 36 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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 15 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 Bowser the Hound by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1376 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15168 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15168, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 114 minutes of reading across 276 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bowser the Hound section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Bowser the Hound 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 Bowser the Hound, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
