Chapter 1 of Mother West Wind "Where" Stories is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Mother West Wind "Where" Stories is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth. Of course! It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth. In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes. He seems then to be all mouth and eyes.
Chapter 1 of Mother West Wind "Where" Stories is here in full — 421 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.
every person
From this reading “Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.”
any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
From this reading “Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.”
the father of your father or mother
From this reading “Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.”
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading “Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.”
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading “Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.”
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.”
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “He seems then to be all mouth and eyes.”
successive (without a break)
From this reading “It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.”
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 Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
(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 In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course!
every person
From this reading Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.
opinion or judgment
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
From this reading Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of course!
capable of happening or existing
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seems then to be all mouth and eyes.
successive (without a break)
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Everybody knows that Grandfather Frog has a big mouth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He seems then to be all mouth and eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
at the time that
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It wouldn't be possible to look him straight in the face and not know that he has a big mouth.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading In fact, about all you see when you look Grandfather Frog full in the face are his great big mouth and two great big goggly eyes.
Chapter 1 of Mother West Wind "Where" Stories by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 421 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 1 holds 421 sentences of Mother West Wind "Where" Stories, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Mother West Wind "Where" Stories by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 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 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 Mother West Wind "Where" Stories by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1682 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17250 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17250, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 140 minutes of reading across 337 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mother West Wind "Where" Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Mother West Wind "Where" Stories 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 Mother West Wind "Where" Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
