Chapter 3 of Burr Junior is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Burr Junior is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why, they're all big mice," I said. "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting. "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh. Why, they must have been caught last night. That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
Chapter 3 of Burr Junior is here in full — 423 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.
the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order
From this reading “"No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.”
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading “"Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.”
a dealer in textiles (especially silks)
From this reading “"No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.”
plural of “mouse” — any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading “"Why, they're all big mice," I said.”
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading “That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.”
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading “"No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.”
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading “That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty-one and one
From this reading “"Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.”
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 That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
immediately past
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
a dealer in textiles (especially silks)
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
plural of “mouse” — any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
not any; not one
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty-one and one
From this reading "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
Chapter 3 of Burr Junior by George Manville Fenn holds 423 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 3 holds 423 sentences of Burr Junior, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Burr Junior by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 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 3 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 Burr Junior by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7080 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21294 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21294, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 590 minutes of reading across 1416 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Burr Junior section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Burr Junior 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 Burr Junior, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
