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Old Granny Fox
Old Granny Fox

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of Old Granny Fox is here in full — 57 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Old Granny Fox
Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Granny And Reddy Talk Things Over.
You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.
Then seeming loss is gain, you see.
—_Old Granny Fox_.
If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.
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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.

Old Granny Fox

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of Old Granny Fox is here in full — 57 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Granny And Reddy Talk Things Over.
Line 2
You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.
Line 3
Then seeming loss is gain, you see.
/ðen ˈsiːmɪŋ lɔːs ɪz ɡeɪn juː siː/
Line 4
—_Old Granny Fox_.
/oʊld ˈɡræni fɑːks/
Line 5
If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

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.

cleverly adverb US /ˈklevərli/

in a clever manner

From this reading “If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.”

Coyote noun US /kaɪˈoʊti/

small wolf native to western North America

From this reading “If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.”

Fox noun US /fɑːks/

alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs

From this reading “If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.”

gobble verb US /ˈɡɑːbəl/

eat hastily without proper chewing

From this reading “If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.”

Granny noun US /ˈɡræni/

the mother of your father or mother

From this reading “Granny And Reddy Talk Things Over.”

Hound noun US /haʊnd/

any of several breeds of dog used for hunting typically having large drooping ears

From this reading “If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.”

seeming adjective US /ˈsiːmɪŋ/

appearing as such but not necessarily so

From this reading “Then seeming loss is gain, you see.”

stolen verb US /ˈstoʊlən/

inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent

From this reading “If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Granny And Reddy Talk Things Over.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

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

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

Bowser

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

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

cleverlyadverbUS /ˈklevərli/

in a clever manner

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

CoyotenounUS /kaɪˈoʊti/

small wolf native to western North America

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

dinnernounUS /ˈdɪnər/

the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

folksnounUS /foʊks/

your parents

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

FoxnounUS /fɑːks/

alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs

From this reading —_Old Granny Fox_.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

gainverbUS /ɡeɪn/

obtain

From this reading Then seeming loss is gain, you see.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

gobbleverbUS /ˈɡɑːbəl/

eat hastily without proper chewing

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

GrannynounUS /ˈɡræni/

the mother of your father or mother

From this reading Granny And Reddy Talk Things Over.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

HoundnounUS /haʊnd/

any of several breeds of dog used for hunting typically having large drooping ears

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Then seeming loss is gain, you see.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

lossnounUS /lɔːs/

something that is lost

From this reading Then seeming loss is gain, you see.

madadjectiveUS /mæd/

roused to anger

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

MannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

OldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

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

From this reading —_Old Granny Fox_.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

OverprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Granny And Reddy Talk Things Over.

proveverbUS /pruːv/

be shown or be found to be

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

Reddy

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

From this reading Granny And Reddy Talk Things Over.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Then seeming loss is gain, you see.

seemingadjectiveUS /ˈsiːmɪŋ/

appearing as such but not necessarily so

From this reading Then seeming loss is gain, you see.

shouldn't

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

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

stolenverbUS /ˈstoʊlən/

inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

TalkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading Granny And Reddy Talk Things Over.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then seeming loss is gain, you see.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

ThingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Granny And Reddy Talk Things Over.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

twonounUS /tuː/

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

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

watchedverbUS /wɑːtʃt/

past form of “watch” — look attentively

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading If ever two folks were mad away through, those two were Granny and Reddy Fox as they watched Old Man Coyote gobble up the dinner they had so cleverly stolen from Bowser the Hound.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

You'll

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

From this reading You’ll find as on through life you go The thing you want may prove to be The very thing you shouldn’t have.

Chapter 20 of Old Granny Fox by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 57 sentences, grouped into 12 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 20 of Old Granny Fox contain?

Chapter 20 holds 57 sentences of Old Granny Fox, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of Old Granny Fox by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 57 sentences, grouped into 12 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 20 of Old Granny Fox?

Work through the 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 12 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 20 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 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 Old Granny Fox

Common questions about reading Old Granny Fox by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Old Granny Fox?

Yes. All 1433 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4980 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Old Granny Fox is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4980, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Old Granny Fox take to read?

About 119 minutes of reading across 287 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Old Granny Fox section by section

How to work through Old Granny Fox section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 28 chapters of Old Granny Fox 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 Old Granny Fox

Words and structures a reader meets early in Old Granny Fox, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Granny
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Old Granny Fox; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Reddy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Old Granny Fox; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hunting
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Old Granny Fox; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Doubt
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Old Granny Fox; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.