Chapter 12 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEFORE BREAKFAST. "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up. Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets." "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already." Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.
Chapter 12 of Our Feathered Friends is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
regarded with admiration
From this reading “Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.”
move back and forth very rapidly
From this reading “Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."”
small finch originally of the western United States and Mexico
From this reading “"You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."”
a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
From this reading “Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."”
plural of “shaft” — a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading “Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.”
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading “Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.”
any of numerous long-tailed American finches
From this reading “"Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.”
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."”
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.
cause to become awake or conscious
In this reading “Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."”
In this reading “"Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.”
In this reading “Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.”
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.
regarded with admiration
From this reading Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading BEFORE BREAKFAST.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading BEFORE BREAKFAST.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.
move back and forth very rapidly
From this reading Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
small finch originally of the western United States and Mexico
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."
a woman of refinement
From this reading "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.
a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
From this reading Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
plural of “shaft” — a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading Mr. Flicker opened his sharp eyes and admired his sharp tail shafts.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
any of numerous long-tailed American finches
From this reading "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Ring the breakfast bell," cried Madam Towhee, "the sun is nearly up.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Rap on your tree, Mr. Flicker, and wake up the linnets."
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "You are late yourself, Mrs. Towhee," said Mrs. Linnet; "my children have had their breakfast already."
Chapter 12 of Our Feathered Friends by Elizabeth Grinnell holds 65 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 12 holds 65 sentences of Our Feathered Friends, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Our Feathered Friends by Elizabeth Grinnell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 65 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 12 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.
