Chapter 3 of Stories of Birds is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Stories of Birds is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings. He bore another fish in his strong bill. When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her. At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank. "Why!" said Phyllis.
Chapter 3 of Stories of Birds is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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.
past form of “circle” — travel around something
From this reading “At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.”
the cognitive process of reaching a decision
From this reading “At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.”
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading “He bore another fish in his strong bill.”
in a graceful manner
From this reading “He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.”
not causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading “At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.”
an opening into or through something
From this reading “At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.”
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading “He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.”
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 At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He bore another fish in his strong bill.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading He bore another fish in his strong bill.
cause to be bored
From this reading He bore another fish in his strong bill.
past form of “circle” — travel around something
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
the cognitive process of reaching a decision
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading He bore another fish in his strong bill.
a young female
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
in a graceful manner
From this reading He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.
not causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He bore another fish in his strong bill.
an opening into or through something
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He bore another fish in his strong bill.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Why!" said Phyllis.
cut with a saw
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
not in physical motion
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading He bore another fish in his strong bill.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At length, deciding that she was harmless, he circled past the little girl and entered a small hole on the face of the bank.
at the time that
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
during the time that
From this reading When he saw Phyllis he stopped short and held himself perfectly still in the air while he looked at her.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why!" said Phyllis.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading He gracefully swung into sight on wide-spread wings.
Chapter 3 of Stories of Birds by Lenore Elizabeth Mulets holds 498 sentences, grouped into 100 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 3 holds 498 sentences of Stories of Birds, unabridged, divided into 100 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Stories of Birds by Lenore Elizabeth Mulets exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 498 sentences, grouped into 100 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 100 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 100 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 3 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 Stories of Birds by Lenore Elizabeth Mulets on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1915 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20547 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20547, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 159 minutes of reading across 383 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stories of Birds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Stories of Birds 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 Stories of Birds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
