Chapter 12 of Poppy Ott and the stuttering parrot is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Poppy Ott and the stuttering parrot is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost. He’d catch it now, he said, tearing his hair. Nothing could save him. “My aunt’s got an awful temper,” says he. “She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.
Chapter 12 of Poppy Ott and the stuttering parrot is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
possessive form of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading ““My aunt’s got an awful temper,” says he.”
A person who commits illegal entry into a building with intent to steal valuable treasures.
From this reading “THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.”
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading ““She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.”
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading ““She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.”
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.”
shedding tears
From this reading “He’d catch it now, he said, tearing his hair.”
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading ““My aunt’s got an awful temper,” says he.”
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.
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 “She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “My aunt’s got an awful temper,” says he.
possessive form of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “My aunt’s got an awful temper,” says he.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading “My aunt’s got an awful temper,” says he.
A person who commits illegal entry into a building with intent to steal valuable treasures.
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading He’d catch it now, he said, tearing his hair.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Nothing could save him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading “She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.
the act of departing
From this reading “She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “My aunt’s got an awful temper,” says he.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading He’d catch it now, he said, tearing his hair.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’d catch it now, he said, tearing his hair.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nothing could save him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He’d catch it now, he said, tearing his hair.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He’d catch it now, he said, tearing his hair.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My aunt’s got an awful temper,” says he.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing could save him.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He’d catch it now, he said, tearing his hair.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading “She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He’d catch it now, he said, tearing his hair.
except for; apart from
From this reading Nothing could save him.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “My aunt’s got an awful temper,” says he.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.
transport commercially
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
shedding tears
From this reading He’d catch it now, he said, tearing his hair.
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading “My aunt’s got an awful temper,” says he.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
at the time that
From this reading “She’s a regular old rip-snorter when she gets going.
which person or people
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BURGLAR Like the ship captain who staggered down the stairs, Red yipped that he was lost.
Chapter 12 of Poppy Ott and the stuttering parrot by Leo Edwards holds 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 81 sentences of Poppy Ott and the stuttering parrot, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Poppy Ott and the stuttering parrot by Leo Edwards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 Poppy Ott and the stuttering parrot by Leo Edwards on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75550 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75550, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 827 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poppy Ott and the stuttering parrot section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Poppy Ott and the stuttering parrot 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 Poppy Ott and the stuttering parrot, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
