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Nonsense Books
Nonsense Books

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Nonsense Books is here in full — 8 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Edward Lear • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Nonsense Books
Context Illustration Reading 1/1 · 8 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 8
THE SEVEN FAMILIES.
There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.
There was a family of two old Storks and seven young Storks.
There was a family of two old Geese and seven young Geese.
There was a family of two old Owls and seven young Owls.
There was a family of two old Guinea Pigs and seven young Guinea Pigs.
There was a family of two old Cats and seven young Cats.
And there was a family of two old Fishes and seven young Fishes.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Nonsense Books

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Nonsense Books is here in full — 8 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/1 · 8 reading units · Lines 1–8

Line 1
THE SEVEN FAMILIES.
/ðə ˈsevən ˈfæməliz/
Line 2
There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.
/ðer wɑːz ə ˈfæməli ʌv tuː oʊld ˈperəts ənd ˈsevən jʌŋ ˈperəts/
Line 3
There was a family of two old Storks and seven young Storks.
Line 4
There was a family of two old Geese and seven young Geese.
/ðer wɑːz ə ˈfæməli ʌv tuː oʊld ɡiːs ənd ˈsevən jʌŋ ɡiːs/
Line 5
There was a family of two old Owls and seven young Owls.
/ðer wɑːz ə ˈfæməli ʌv tuː oʊld aʊlz ənd ˈsevən jʌŋ aʊlz/
Line 6
There was a family of two old Guinea Pigs and seven young Guinea Pigs.
/ðer wɑːz ə ˈfæməli ʌv tuː oʊld ˈɡɪni pɪɡz ənd ˈsevən jʌŋ ˈɡɪni pɪɡz/
Line 7
There was a family of two old Cats and seven young Cats.
/ðer wɑːz ə ˈfæməli ʌv tuː oʊld kæts ənd ˈsevən jʌŋ kæts/
Line 8
And there was a family of two old Fishes and seven young Fishes.
/ənd ðer wɑːz ə ˈfæməli ʌv tuː oʊld ˈfɪʃəz ənd ˈsevən jʌŋ ˈfɪʃəz/

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.

Cats noun US /kæts/

plural of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats

From this reading “There was a family of two old Cats and seven young Cats.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
families noun US /ˈfæməliz/

plural of “family” — a social unit living together

From this reading “THE SEVEN FAMILIES.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Fishes noun US /ˈfɪʃəz/

plural of “fish” — any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills

From this reading “And there was a family of two old Fishes and seven young Fishes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Geese noun US /ɡiːs/

plural of “goose” — web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks

From this reading “There was a family of two old Geese and seven young Geese.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Guinea noun US /ˈɡɪni/

a former British gold coin worth 21 shillings

From this reading “There was a family of two old Guinea Pigs and seven young Guinea Pigs.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Owls noun US /aʊlz/

plural of “owl” — nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes

From this reading “There was a family of two old Owls and seven young Owls.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Parrots noun US /ˈperəts/

plural of “parrot” — usually brightly colored zygodactyl tropical birds with short hooked beaks and the ability to mimic sounds

From this reading “There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Pigs noun US /pɪɡz/

plural of “pig” — domestic swine

From this reading “There was a family of two old Guinea Pigs and seven young Guinea Pigs.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 20

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
CatsnounUS /kæts/

plural of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats

From this reading There was a family of two old Cats and seven young Cats.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FAMILIESnounUS /ˈfæməliz/

plural of “family” — a social unit living together

From this reading THE SEVEN FAMILIES.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FishesnounUS /ˈfɪʃəz/

plural of “fish” — any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills

From this reading And there was a family of two old Fishes and seven young Fishes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GeesenounUS /ɡiːs/

plural of “goose” — web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks

From this reading There was a family of two old Geese and seven young Geese.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GuineanounUS /ˈɡɪni/

a former British gold coin worth 21 shillings

From this reading There was a family of two old Guinea Pigs and seven young Guinea Pigs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OwlsnounUS /aʊlz/

plural of “owl” — nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes

From this reading There was a family of two old Owls and seven young Owls.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ParrotsnounUS /ˈperəts/

plural of “parrot” — usually brightly colored zygodactyl tropical birds with short hooked beaks and the ability to mimic sounds

From this reading There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PigsnounUS /pɪɡz/

plural of “pig” — domestic swine

From this reading There was a family of two old Guinea Pigs and seven young Guinea Pigs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SEVENnounUS /ˈsevən/

the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one

From this reading THE SEVEN FAMILIES.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Storks

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

From this reading There was a family of two old Storks and seven young Storks.

Pending verification
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE SEVEN FAMILIES.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

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

From this reading There was a family of two old Parrots and seven young Parrots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 3 of Nonsense Books by Edward Lear holds 8 sentences, grouped into 2 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 3 of Nonsense Books contain?

Chapter 3 holds 8 sentences of Nonsense Books, unabridged, divided into 2 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Nonsense Books by Edward Lear exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 8 sentences, grouped into 2 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 3 of Nonsense Books?

Work through the 2 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 2 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 3 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Nonsense Books

Common questions about reading Nonsense Books by Edward Lear on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Nonsense Books?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Nonsense Books is used?

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

How long does Nonsense Books take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Nonsense Books section by section

How to work through Nonsense Books section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of Nonsense Books 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 Nonsense Books

Words and structures a reader meets early in Nonsense Books, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Nonsense Books, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Nonsense Books, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Nonsense Books, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.