Chapter 23 of Old Farm Fairies is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Old Farm Fairies is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE. Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn. Lake and lawn both in Pixie hands! It was a sorry day in Brownieland. What could be done?
Chapter 23 of Old Farm Fairies is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
the state of being allied or confederated
From this reading “THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE.”
plural of “brownie” — a junior Girl Scout
From this reading “Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.”
plural of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading “Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.”
past form of “ground” — fix firmly and stably
From this reading “Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.”
a field of cultivated and mowed grass
From this reading “Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.”
(folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous
From this reading “Lake and lawn both in Pixie hands!”
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading “Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.”
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading “THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE.”
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.
In this reading “Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.”
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 It was a sorry day in Brownieland.
the state of being allied or confederated
From this reading THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Lake and lawn both in Pixie hands!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a sorry day in Brownieland.
plural of “brownie” — a junior Girl Scout
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What could be done?
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was a sorry day in Brownieland.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading What could be done?
plural of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
set up or found
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE.
past form of “ground” — fix firmly and stably
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Lake and lawn both in Pixie hands!
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Lake and lawn both in Pixie hands!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a sorry day in Brownieland.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading Lake and lawn both in Pixie hands!
a field of cultivated and mowed grass
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
(folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous
From this reading Lake and lawn both in Pixie hands!
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf
From this reading THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading It was a sorry day in Brownieland.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a sorry day in Brownieland.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Next morning the Brownies' forebodings were found to be well grounded; their enemies held possession of the lawn.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What could be done?
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE GRAND ALLIANCE WITH SCALY, TWIST AND SLYMOUSIE.
Chapter 23 of Old Farm Fairies by Henry C. (Henry Christopher) McCook holds 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 23 holds 361 sentences of Old Farm Fairies, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Old Farm Fairies by Henry C. (Henry Christopher) McCook exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 23 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 Old Farm Fairies by Henry C. (Henry Christopher) McCook on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6841 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33994 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33994, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 570 minutes of reading across 1369 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Farm Fairies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Old Farm Fairies 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 Old Farm Fairies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
