Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Lily F. Wesselhoeft • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children

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He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

“Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

“Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IX Reading 1/18

Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children Lily F. Wesselhoeft

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

WHEN the sparrow awoke the next morning he found his little mate had been up some time and had given the young sparrows their breakfast; so he made a hasty toilet, and then flew off to find something to eat. He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife. Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm. “Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her. “Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

/wen ðə ˈsperoʊ əˈwoʊk ðə nekst ˈmɔːrnɪŋ hiː faʊnd hɪz ˈlɪtəl meɪt hæd bɪn ʌp sʌm taɪm ənd hæd ˈɡɪvən ðə jʌŋ ˈsperoʊz ðer ˈbrekfəst soʊ hiː meɪd ə ˈheɪsti ˈtɔɪlət ənd ðen fluː ɔːf tuː faɪnd ˈsʌmθɪŋ tuː iːt/

Line 2

He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

/hiː rɪˈmembərd dʒʌst wer ðə ˈfaɪnəst wɜːrmz wɜːr tuː biː faʊnd ənd hiː eɪt ə fjuː ənd seɪvd tuː ʌv ðə ˈlɑːrdʒəst ənd ˈfætəst fɔːr hɪz ˈlɪtəl waɪf/

Line 3

Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

/ˈnænsi wɑːz ˈkʌmɪŋ aʊt ʌv ðə ɡeɪt æz hiː fluː ɪn ənd wɑːz ˈstɑːrtɪŋ aʊt fɔːr hɜːr deɪz wɜːrk wɪð hɜːr ˈbæskət ʌv ˈmætʃəz ɑːn hɜːr ɑːrm/

Line 4

“Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

Line 5

“Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

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.

dreadfully adverb US /ˈdredfəli/

of a dreadful kind

From this reading ““Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.””

fattest adjective US /ˈfætəst/

superlative of “fat” — having an (over)abundance of flesh

From this reading “He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.”

matches noun US /ˈmætʃəz/

plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction

From this reading “Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.”

rickety adjective US /ˈrɪkəti/

inclined to shake as from weakness or defect

From this reading ““Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.”

sparrow noun US /ˈsperoʊ/

any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

From this reading “WHEN the sparrow awoke the next morning he found his little mate had been up some time and had given the young sparrows their breakfast; so he made a hasty toilet, and then flew off to find something to eat.”

sparrows noun US /ˈsperoʊz/

plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

toilet noun US /ˈtɔɪlət/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

worms noun US /wɜːrmz/

plural of “worm” — any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae

From this reading “He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

hasty toilet adjective + noun

In this reading “WHEN the sparrow awoke the next morning he found his little mate had been up some time and had given the young sparrows their breakfast; so he made a hasty toilet, and then flew off to find something to eat.”

next morning adjective + noun

run away verb + particle

flee; take to one's heels; cut and run

In this reading ““Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.””

looked at verb + particle counted as “look at”

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading ““Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.”

some time adjective + noun

flew off verb + particle counted as “fly off”

All words in this reading · 83

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 WHEN the sparrow awoke the next morning he found his little mate had been up some time and had given the young sparrows their breakfast; so he made a hasty toilet, and then flew off to find something to eat.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading “Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

armnounUS /ɑːrm/

a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

atenounUS /eɪt/

goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading “Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

awokeverbUS /əˈwoʊk/

inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping

basketnounUS /ˈbæskət/

a container that is usually woven and has handles

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

BillynounUS /ˈbɪli/

a short stout club used primarily by policemen

From this reading “Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

breakfastverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

day'snounUS /deɪz/

possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading “Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

Don't

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

From this reading “Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

dreadfullyadverbUS /ˈdredfəli/

of a dreadful kind

From this reading “Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

eatverbUS /iːt/

take in solid food

fattestadjectiveUS /ˈfætəst/

superlative of “fat” — having an (over)abundance of flesh

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

finestadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnəst/

superlative of “fine” — being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

flewverbUS /fluː/

inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

gatenounUS /ɡeɪt/

a movable barrier in a fence or wall

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

Good-bynoun

a farewell remark

From this reading “Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

hastyadjectiveUS /ˈheɪsti/

excessively quick

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading “Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

largestadjectiveUS /ˈlɑːrdʒəst/

superlative of “large” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

lightedadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪtəd/

set afire or burning

From this reading “Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading “Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

matchesnounUS /ˈmætʃəz/

plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

matenounUS /meɪt/

the officer below the master on a commercial ship

missverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading “Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

NancynounUS /ˈnænsi/

a city in northeastern France in Lorraine

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

rememberedverbUS /rɪˈmembərd/

past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

ricketyadjectiveUS /ˈrɪkəti/

inclined to shake as from weakness or defect

From this reading “Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

runverbUS /rʌn/

move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading “Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

savedadjectiveUS /seɪvd/

rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Good-by, dear Billy,” she said, as he lighted on the rickety gate and looked at her.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

sparrownounUS /ˈsperoʊ/

any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

sparrowsnounUS /ˈsperoʊz/

plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

startingadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtɪŋ/

(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

toiletnounUS /ˈtɔɪlət/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

WHENconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading Nancy was coming out of the gate as he flew in, and was starting out for her day’s work with her basket of matches on her arm.

wormsnounUS /wɜːrmz/

From this reading He remembered just where the finest worms were to be found, and he ate a few and saved two of the largest and fattest for his little wife.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Don’t run away again, I miss you so dreadfully.”

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

Chapter 9 of Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children by Lily F. Wesselhoeft holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 9 of Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children contain?

Chapter 9 holds 90 sentences of Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children by Lily F. Wesselhoeft exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 9 of Sparrow the tramp: A fable for children?

Work through the 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 9 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.

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Chapter IX

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