Chapter 5 of Stories to Tell to Children is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Stories to Tell to Children is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The idea!" said the little Half-Chick. "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!" And he went laughing off, hoppity-kick, hoppity-kick. When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast. The Wind was whimpering, and begging to be set free.
Chapter 5 of Stories to Tell to Children is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
a solicitation for money or food (especially in the street by an apparently penniless person)
From this reading “The Wind was whimpering, and begging to be set free.”
caused to show discomposure
From this reading “"I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"”
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading “When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.”
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading “When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.”
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading “When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “And he went laughing off, hoppity-kick, hoppity-kick.”
the capital and largest city situated centrally in Spain; home of an outstanding art museum
From this reading “"I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"”
-ing form of “whimper” — cry weakly or softly
From this reading “The Wind was whimpering, and begging to be set free.”
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 When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he went laughing off, hoppity-kick, hoppity-kick.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
a solicitation for money or food (especially in the street by an apparently penniless person)
From this reading The Wind was whimpering, and begging to be set free.
caused to show discomposure
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading The Wind was whimpering, and begging to be set free.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The idea!" said the little Half-Chick.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he went laughing off, hoppity-kick, hoppity-kick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he went laughing off, hoppity-kick, hoppity-kick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "The idea!" said the little Half-Chick.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading And he went laughing off, hoppity-kick, hoppity-kick.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "The idea!" said the little Half-Chick.
the capital and largest city situated centrally in Spain; home of an outstanding art museum
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The idea!" said the little Half-Chick.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The Wind was whimpering, and begging to be set free.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The idea!" said the little Half-Chick.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And he went laughing off, hoppity-kick, hoppity-kick.
at the time that
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
in or at the place that
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
-ing form of “whimper” — cry weakly or softly
From this reading The Wind was whimpering, and begging to be set free.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading When he had hoppity-kicked a good way, and was near Madrid, he came to a clump of bushes, where the Wind was caught fast.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!"
Chapter 5 of Stories to Tell to Children by Sara Cone Bryant holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 5 holds 165 sentences of Stories to Tell to Children, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Stories to Tell to Children by Sara Cone Bryant exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 5 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 to Tell to Children by Sara Cone Bryant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2769 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #473 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #473, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 230 minutes of reading across 554 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stories to Tell to Children section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Stories to Tell to Children 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 to Tell to Children, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
