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Once on a Time
Once on a Time

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of Once on a Time is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Once on a Time
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.
He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.
When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.
King Coronel of Western Euralia sat at breakfast on _his_ castle walls.
He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.
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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.

Once on a Time

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of Once on a Time is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.
Line 2
He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.
/hiː ˈlɪftəd ðə ɡoʊld ˈkʌvər frʌm ðə ɡoʊld dɪʃ ɪn frʌnt ʌv hɪm səˈlektɪd ə traʊt ənd kənˈveɪd ɪt ˈkerfəli tuː hɪz ɡoʊld pleɪt/
Line 3
When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.
/wen juː hæv æn ænt bʌt aɪ niːd nɑːt seɪ ðæt əˈɡen/
Line 4
King Coronel of Western Euralia sat at breakfast on _his_ castle walls.
Line 5
He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.
/hiː ˈlɪftəd ðə ɡoʊld ˈkʌvər frʌm ðə ɡoʊld dɪʃ ɪn frʌnt ʌv hɪm səˈlektɪd ə traʊt ənd kənˈveɪd ɪt ˈkerfəli tuː hɪz ɡoʊld pleɪt/

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.

conveyed verb US /kənˈveɪd/

past form of “convey” — (of information) make known; pass on

From this reading “He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.”

dish noun US /dɪʃ/

a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food

From this reading “He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.”

Eastern adjective US /ˈiːstərn/

lying toward or situated in the east

From this reading “THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.”

plate noun US /pleɪt/

(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score

From this reading “He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.”

selected adjective US /səˈlektɪd/

chosen in preference to another

From this reading “He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.”

seventeen adjective US /ˈsevənˈtiːn/

being one more than sixteen

From this reading “THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.”

trout noun US /traʊt/

flesh of any of several primarily freshwater game and food fishes

From this reading “He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.”

volumes noun US /ˈvɑːljuːmz/

plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object

From this reading “THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.”

All words in this reading · 49

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 He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

AGAINadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

auntnounUS /ænt/

the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

BACKadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

breakfastverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

carefullyadverbUS /ˈkerfəli/

taking care or paying attention

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

castlenounUS /ˈkæsəl/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

conveyedverbUS /kənˈveɪd/

past form of “convey” — (of information) make known; pass on

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

Coronel

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

From this reading King Coronel of Western Euralia sat at breakfast on _his_ castle walls.

coververbUS /ˈkʌvər/

provide with a covering or cause to be covered

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

dishnounUS /dɪʃ/

a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

EasternadjectiveUS /ˈiːstərn/

lying toward or situated in the east

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

Euralia

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

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

GOverbUS /ɡoʊ/

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

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

goldnounUS /ɡoʊld/

coins made of gold

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

liftedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪftəd/

held up in the air

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

Merriwig

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

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

platenounUS /pleɪt/

(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

selectedadjectiveUS /səˈlektɪd/

chosen in preference to another

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

SEVENTEENadjectiveUS /ˈsevənˈtiːn/

being one more than sixteen

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

troutnounUS /traʊt/

flesh of any of several primarily freshwater game and food fishes

From this reading He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate.

VOLUMESnounUS /ˈvɑːljuːmz/

plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

wallsnounUS /wɔːlz/

plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading THE SEVENTEEN VOLUMES GO BACK AGAIN King Merriwig of Eastern Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls.

WesternadjectiveUS /ˈwestərn/

relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts

From this reading King Coronel of Western Euralia sat at breakfast on _his_ castle walls.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading When you have an aunt---- But I need not say that again.

Chapter 23 of Once on a Time by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne holds 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 23 of Once on a Time contain?

Chapter 23 holds 142 sentences of Once on a Time, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of Once on a Time by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 23 of Once on a Time?

Work through the 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 29 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 23 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Once on a Time

Common questions about reading Once on a Time by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Once on a Time?

Yes. All 3906 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27771 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Once on a Time is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #27771, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Once on a Time take to read?

About 325 minutes of reading across 782 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Once on a Time section by section

How to work through Once on a Time section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 23 chapters of Once on a Time 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 Once on a Time

Words and structures a reader meets early in Once on a Time, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Arrangement
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Once on a Time; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Putnam's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Once on a Time; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Written
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Once on a Time; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Amusement
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Once on a Time; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.