Chapter 3 of Fifty Famous Fables is here in full — 465 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Fifty Famous Fables is here in full — 465 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed. How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother. THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass. A wolf was at the foot of the cliff looking at him. He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.
Chapter 3 of Fifty Famous Fables is here in full — 465 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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 steep high face of rock
From this reading “THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.”
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.”
the act of consuming food
From this reading “THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.”
any of numerous agile ruminants related to sheep but having a beard and straight horns
From this reading “THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.”
a woman who is the custodian of children
From this reading “"Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.”
having a sharp inclination
From this reading “He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.”
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading “"Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.”
any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs
From this reading “A wolf was at the foot of the cliff looking at him.”
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 THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A wolf was at the foot of the cliff looking at him.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.
a steep high face of rock
From this reading THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.
the act of consuming food
From this reading THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading A wolf was at the foot of the cliff looking at him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
any of numerous agile ruminants related to sheep but having a beard and straight horns
From this reading THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A wolf was at the foot of the cliff looking at him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading A wolf was at the foot of the cliff looking at him.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
a woman who is the custodian of children
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
having a sharp inclination
From this reading He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
the upper part of anything
From this reading THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He wanted the goat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading THE WISE GOAT A goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.
any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs
From this reading A wolf was at the foot of the cliff looking at him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How glad I am that you are safe!" said the happy mother.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed.
Chapter 3 of Fifty Famous Fables by Lida B. (Lida Brown) McMurry holds 465 sentences, grouped into 93 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 3 holds 465 sentences of Fifty Famous Fables, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 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 465 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 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.
