Chapter 6 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHAT BIRDS CARRY IN THEIR POCKETS. Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats. These they sometimes lift in true bird style. There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees. When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
Chapter 6 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
plural of “hat” — headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading “Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.”
a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry
From this reading “When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.”
plural of “lift” — the act of giving temporary assistance
From this reading “When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.”
plural of “plume” — anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness
From this reading “Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.”
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “WHAT BIRDS CARRY IN THEIR POCKETS.”
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.”
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading “When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.”
marked by ostentation but often tasteless
From this reading “Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.”
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 “When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.”
In this reading “There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.”
pass slowly (of time)
In this reading “Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading These they sometimes lift in true bird style.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading WHAT BIRDS CARRY IN THEIR POCKETS.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading WHAT BIRDS CARRY IN THEIR POCKETS.
the Crown (or the reigning monarch) as the symbol of the power and authority of a monarchy
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
plural of “hat” — headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading WHAT BIRDS CARRY IN THEIR POCKETS.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
small birds resembling warblers but having some of the habits of titmice
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading These they sometimes lift in true bird style.
plural of “lift” — the act of giving temporary assistance
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.
plural of “plume” — anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness
From this reading Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading WHAT BIRDS CARRY IN THEIR POCKETS.
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
marked by ostentation but often tasteless
From this reading Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading These they sometimes lift in true bird style.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading These they sometimes lift in true bird style.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading WHAT BIRDS CARRY IN THEIR POCKETS.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These they sometimes lift in true bird style.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading These they sometimes lift in true bird style.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
the upper part of anything
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading These they sometimes lift in true bird style.
be dressed in
From this reading Some birds wear on their heads plumes, or bright and showy hats.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT BIRDS CARRY IN THEIR POCKETS.
at the time that
From this reading When this little king lifts his hat, he shows what looks like a ruby crown or jewel on top of his head.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There is the ruby-crowned kinglet[4] which one sees in the garden trees.
Chapter 6 of Our Feathered Friends by Elizabeth Grinnell holds 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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 6 holds 63 sentences of Our Feathered Friends, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Our Feathered Friends by Elizabeth Grinnell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 6 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 Our Feathered Friends by Elizabeth Grinnell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1879 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64517 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64517, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 156 minutes of reading across 376 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Our Feathered Friends section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Our Feathered Friends 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 Our Feathered Friends, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
