Chapter 15 of Little Alfred is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Little Alfred is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DISOBEDIENT CHICKEN. The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din. And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright. FLOWERS FOR CHILDREN. “THERE was once a hen that had five chickens.
Chapter 15 of Little Alfred is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/5 · 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 flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading “THE DISOBEDIENT CHICKEN.”
plural of “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading ““THERE was once a hen that had five chickens.”
a loud harsh or strident noise
From this reading “The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.”
not obeying or complying with commands of those in authority
From this reading “THE DISOBEDIENT CHICKEN.”
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading “And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.”
adult female chicken
From this reading “The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.”
attempt by employing effort
From this reading “And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.”
impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading “And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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 poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.
in an accurate manner
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading THE DISOBEDIENT CHICKEN.
plural of “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading “THERE was once a hen that had five chickens.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading FLOWERS FOR CHILDREN.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.
a loud harsh or strident noise
From this reading The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.
not obeying or complying with commands of those in authority
From this reading THE DISOBEDIENT CHICKEN.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “THERE was once a hen that had five chickens.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading FLOWERS FOR CHILDREN.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “THERE was once a hen that had five chickens.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
adult female chicken
From this reading The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.
engage in
From this reading The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.
on one occasion
From this reading “THERE was once a hen that had five chickens.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading The poor hen did cry, And make a loud din.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
attempt by employing effort
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “THERE was once a hen that had five chickens.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DISOBEDIENT CHICKEN.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “THERE was once a hen that had five chickens.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “THERE was once a hen that had five chickens.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading And hard did she strive To teach them aright; For to see them do wrong Always gave her a fright.
Chapter 15 of Little Alfred by L. A. (Lydia Austin), -1879 Holdich holds 26 sentences, grouped into 6 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 26 sentences of Little Alfred, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Little Alfred by L. A. (Lydia Austin), -1879 Holdich exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 26 sentences, grouped into 6 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 6 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 6 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 Little Alfred by L. A. (Lydia Austin), -1879 Holdich on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1165 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62941 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62941, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 97 minutes of reading across 233 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Little Alfred section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Little Alfred 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 Little Alfred, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
