Chapter 1 of Millions of cats is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Millions of cats is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman. They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was. But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely. “If we only had a cat!” sighed the very old woman. “A cat?” asked the very old man.
Chapter 1 of Millions of cats is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading ““If we only had a cat!” sighed the very old woman.”
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading “They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.”
apart from; not including
From this reading “They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.”
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading “They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.”
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.”
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading “But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading ““If we only had a cat!” sighed the very old woman.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.”
a woman who is old
In this reading “Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.”
live in the house where one works
In this reading “They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.”
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 Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
(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 They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “A cat?” asked the very old man.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.
for the reason that
From this reading But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “If we only had a cat!” sighed the very old woman.
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
apart from; not including
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If we only had a cat!” sighed the very old woman.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
on one occasion
From this reading Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
and nothing more
From this reading “If we only had a cat!” sighed the very old woman.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “If we only had a cat!” sighed the very old woman.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
precisely as stated
From this reading Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “If we only had a cat!” sighed the very old woman.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.
in or at the place that
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman.
Chapter 1 of Millions of cats by Wanda Gág holds 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 1 holds 71 sentences of Millions of cats, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Millions of cats by Wanda Gág exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 1 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 Millions of cats by Wanda Gág on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 71 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74181 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #74181, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 15 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Millions of cats section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Millions of cats 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 Millions of cats, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
