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Nonsense Songs
Nonsense Songs

Chapter I

Cover illustration for Nonsense Songs
Context Illustration Reading 1/55 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl, How charmingly sweet you sing!
Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"
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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 Songs

Chapter I

Reading 1/55 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
Line 2
The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!
Line 3
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Line 4
Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl, How charmingly sweet you sing!
Line 5
Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Above preposition US /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading “The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"”

Let auxiliary verb US /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading “Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!”

Shall modal verb US /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading “Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.”

All words in this reading · 59

Every word is available to listen to. 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 The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

beautiful

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

boat

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

charmingly

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

From this reading Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl, How charmingly sweet you sing!

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

elegant

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

From this reading Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl, How charmingly sweet you sing!

five-pound

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

fowl

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

From this reading Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl, How charmingly sweet you sing!

guitar

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

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

honey

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

How

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

From this reading Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl, How charmingly sweet you sing!

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

love

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

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

lovely

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

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

married

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

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

money

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

note

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

O

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

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

Oh

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

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

Owl

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

pea-green

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

plenty

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

Pussy

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

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

Pussy-Cat

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

ring

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

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

said

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

From this reading Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl, How charmingly sweet you sing!

sang

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

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

sea

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

sing

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

From this reading Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl, How charmingly sweet you sing!

small

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

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

some

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

stars

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

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

sweet

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

From this reading Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl, How charmingly sweet you sing!

tarried

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

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

too

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

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

up

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!

Wrapped

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

From this reading The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are!