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Mother's Little Rhyme Book
Mother's Little Rhyme Book

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Mother's Little Rhyme Book is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Mother's Little Rhyme Book
Context Illustration Reading 1/12 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.
O, where is my little dog gone?
Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?
London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!
WHERE IS MY LITTLE DOG GONE?
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Mother's Little Rhyme Book

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Mother's Little Rhyme Book is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.
Line 2
O, where is my little dog gone?
/oʊ wer ɪz maɪ ˈlɪtəl dɔːɡ ɡɔːn/
Line 3
Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?
Line 4
London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!
Line 5
WHERE IS MY LITTLE DOG GONE?
/wer ɪz maɪ ˈlɪtəl dɔːɡ ɡɔːn/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Flinders noun US /ˈflɪndərz/

British explorer who mapped the Australian coast (1774-1814)

From this reading “Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?”

Illustrated verb US /ˈɪləstreɪtəd/

past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of

From this reading “Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.”

kettle noun US /ˈketəl/

a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid

From this reading “London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!”

lambs noun US /læmz/

plural of “lamb” — young sheep

From this reading “Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?”

mice noun US /maɪs/

plural of “mouse” — 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 “Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?”

nut noun US /nʌt/

usually large hard-shelled seed

From this reading “London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!”

Philadelphia noun US /ˌfɪləˈdelfiə/

the largest city in Pennsylvania; located in the southeastern part of the state on the Delaware river; site of Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed; site of the University of Pennsylvania

From this reading “Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.”

Washington noun US /ˈwɑːʃɪŋtən/

the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791

From this reading “Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

put the kettle verb + article + noun counted as “put … kettle”

In this reading “London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!”

pretty maid adjective + noun

In this reading “Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?”

Illustrated by verb + particle counted as “illustrate by”

In this reading “Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.”

Over the hills preposition + article + noun counted as “over … hill”

In this reading “Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?”

Young lambs adjective + noun counted as “young lamb”

In this reading “Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?”

little dog adjective + noun

a constellation to the east of Orion; contains Procyon

In this reading “O, where is my little dog gone?”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

604

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

608

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

AUGENER

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

blindnounUS /blaɪnd/

people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

BridgenounUS /brɪdʒ/

a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

DavidnounUS /ˈdeɪvɪd/

patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

dognounUS /dɔːɡ/

a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds

From this reading O, where is my little dog gone?

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

FlindersnounUS /ˈflɪndərz/

British explorer who mapped the Australian coast (1774-1814)

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading O, where is my little dog gone?

HnounUS /eɪtʃ/

a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

hillsnounUS /hɪlz/

plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

IllustratedverbUS /ˈɪləstreɪtəd/

past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading O, where is my little dog gone?

kettlenounUS /ˈketəl/

a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

lambsnounUS /læmz/

plural of “lamb” — young sheep

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

LenounUS /lə/

a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading O, where is my little dog gone?

LONDONnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

Ltd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

maidnounUS /meɪd/

a female domestic

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

Mair

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

McKay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

micenounUS /maɪs/

plural of “mouse” — 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 Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading O, where is my little dog gone?

nutnounUS /nʌt/

usually large hard-shelled seed

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading O, where is my little dog gone?

OHnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

OverprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

PhiladelphianounUS /ˌfɪləˈdelfiə/

the largest city in Pennsylvania; located in the southeastern part of the state on the Delaware river; site of Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed; site of the University of Pennsylvania

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

Polly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

prettyadjectiveUS /ˈprɪti/

pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

sellverbUS /sel/

exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

SouthnounUS /saʊθ/

the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

SquareverbUS /skwer/

make square

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

ThreenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

treenounUS /triː/

a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading London Bridge has broken down I had a little nut tree Polly put the kettle on OH!

WashingtonnounUS /ˈwɑːʃɪŋtən/

the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading O, where is my little dog gone?

Willebeek

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair AUGENER Ltd., LONDON David McKay, 604-608 South Washington Square, Philadelphia.

windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

YoungadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Young lambs to sell Three blind mice Little Polly Flinders There came to my window Over the hills and far away Where are you going to, my pretty maid?

Chapter 1 of Mother's Little Rhyme Book by H. (Henriëtte) [Illustrator] Willebeek le Mair holds 64 sentences, grouped into 13 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.

What does chapter 1 of Mother's Little Rhyme Book contain?

Chapter 1 holds 64 sentences of Mother's Little Rhyme Book, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Mother's Little Rhyme Book by H. (Henriëtte) [Illustrator] Willebeek le Mair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 64 sentences, grouped into 13 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Mother's Little Rhyme Book?

Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 13 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Mother's Little Rhyme Book

Common questions about reading Mother's Little Rhyme Book by H. (Henriëtte) [Illustrator] Willebeek le Mair on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Mother's Little Rhyme Book?

Yes. All 64 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59735 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Mother's Little Rhyme Book is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #59735, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Mother's Little Rhyme Book take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 13 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Mother's Little Rhyme Book section by section

How to work through Mother's Little Rhyme Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of Mother's Little Rhyme Book to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Mother's Little Rhyme Book

Words and structures a reader meets early in Mother's Little Rhyme Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Illustrated
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mother's Little Rhyme Book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Willebeek
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mother's Little Rhyme Book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Augener
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mother's Little Rhyme Book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
London
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mother's Little Rhyme Book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.