Chapter 2 of Fifty Famous Fables is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Fifty Famous Fables is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day? You said I might go some day. I am big enough now to go out alone. Do let me go," said Frisky, a young mouse, to his mother. "Well, child, I can not be with you always.
Chapter 2 of Fifty Famous Fables is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading “I am big enough now to go out alone.”
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “I am big enough now to go out alone.”
a young person of either sex
From this reading “"Well, child, I can not be with you always.”
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?”
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “I am big enough now to go out alone.”
playful like a lively kitten
From this reading “Do let me go," said Frisky, a young mouse, to his mother.”
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 “VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?”
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading “VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?”
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 Do let me go," said Frisky, a young mouse, to his mother.
Having no one else present.
From this reading I am big enough now to go out alone.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "Well, child, I can not be with you always.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am big enough now to go out alone.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Well, child, I can not be with you always.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I am big enough now to go out alone.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Well, child, I can not be with you always.
a young person of either sex
From this reading "Well, child, I can not be with you always.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading You said I might go some day.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do let me go," said Frisky, a young mouse, to his mother.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading I am big enough now to go out alone.
playful like a lively kitten
From this reading Do let me go," said Frisky, a young mouse, to his mother.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Do let me go," said Frisky, a young mouse, to his mother.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
moving to the inside of something
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Do let me go," said Frisky, a young mouse, to his mother.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Do let me go," said Frisky, a young mouse, to his mother.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading You said I might go some day.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
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 VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Well, child, I can not be with you always.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I am big enough now to go out alone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I am big enough now to go out alone.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading You said I might go some day.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading You said I might go some day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY "Mother, may I go into the country to-day?
(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, child, I can not be with you always.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Well, child, I can not be with you always.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You said I might go some day.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Do let me go," said Frisky, a young mouse, to his mother.
Chapter 2 of Fifty Famous Fables by Lida B. (Lida Brown) McMurry holds 489 sentences, grouped into 98 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 2 holds 489 sentences of Fifty Famous Fables, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Fifty Famous Fables by Lida B. (Lida Brown) McMurry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 489 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 2 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 Fifty Famous Fables by Lida B. (Lida Brown) McMurry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1424 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4324 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4324, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 118 minutes of reading across 285 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fifty Famous Fables section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Fifty Famous Fables 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 Fifty Famous Fables, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
