Chapter 10 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter 10 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SEED-EATERS AND MEAT-EATERS. If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters. These birds are gentle and are readily tamed. Our tame canaries are descended from the wild seed-eaters. Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
Chapter 10 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading “If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.”
a group of mountainous islands in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa forming Spanish provinces
From this reading “Our tame canaries are descended from the wild seed-eaters.”
plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.”
without much difficulty
From this reading “These birds are gentle and are readily tamed.”
grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished
From this reading “Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.”
of superior grade
From this reading “If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.”
correct by punishment or discipline
From this reading “Our tame canaries are descended from the wild seed-eaters.”
brought from wildness into a domesticated state
From this reading “These birds are gentle and are readily tamed.”
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 “If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.”
In this reading “Our tame canaries are descended from the wild seed-eaters.”
In this reading “If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.”
continue to live and avoid dying
In this reading “Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.”
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.”
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 If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading SEED-EATERS AND MEAT-EATERS.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These birds are gentle and are readily tamed.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
a group of mountainous islands in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa forming Spanish provinces
From this reading Our tame canaries are descended from the wild seed-eaters.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Our tame canaries are descended from the wild seed-eaters.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Our tame canaries are descended from the wild seed-eaters.
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading These birds are gentle and are readily tamed.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
engage in
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SEED-EATERS AND MEAT-EATERS.
the force of workers available
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our tame canaries are descended from the wild seed-eaters.
without much difficulty
From this reading These birds are gentle and are readily tamed.
grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SEED-EATERS AND MEAT-EATERS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
of superior grade
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
correct by punishment or discipline
From this reading Our tame canaries are descended from the wild seed-eaters.
brought from wildness into a domesticated state
From this reading These birds are gentle and are readily tamed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These birds are gentle and are readily tamed.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
under normal conditions
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
which person or people
From this reading Seed-eating birds make us think of some nations of men who live on rice or fruit.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading If we wish to keep one of the wild birds in a cage, we usually select one of the seed-eaters.
Chapter 10 of Our Feathered Friends by Elizabeth Grinnell holds 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 10 holds 53 sentences of Our Feathered Friends, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Our Feathered Friends by Elizabeth Grinnell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 10 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.
