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Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her
Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Unknown • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE FUNNY PIGS.
WITH LAUGHABLE COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.
LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.
THE MOUSE AND HER SONS.
Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.
0:00 / 0:00
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.

Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE FUNNY PIGS.
/ðə ˈfʌni pɪɡz/
Line 2
WITH LAUGHABLE COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.
/wɪð ˈlæfəbəl ˈkʌlərd ɪnˈɡreɪvɪŋz/
Line 3
LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.
Line 4
THE MOUSE AND HER SONS.
/ðə maʊs ənd hɜːr sʌnz/
Line 5
Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.
/wʌns ɑːn ə taɪm ðer lɪvd ə maʊs soʊl ˈmɪstrəs ʌv ə ˈspeɪʃəs haʊs ənd rɪtʃ æz maʊs niːd biː tɪz truː hɜːr ˈdwelɪŋ ˈʌndərɡraʊnd wɑːz ˈniːðər lɔːŋ nɔːr skwer nɔːr raʊnd bʌt ˈsuːtɪŋ hɜːr dɪˈɡriː/

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.

dean noun US /diːn/

an administrator in charge of a division of a university or college

From this reading “LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
engravings noun US /ɪnˈɡreɪvɪŋz/

plural of “engraving” — a print made from an engraving

From this reading “WITH LAUGHABLE COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
laughable adjective US /ˈlæfəbəl/

so unreasonable as to invite derision

From this reading “WITH LAUGHABLE COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mouse noun US /maʊs/

any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails

From this reading “THE MOUSE AND HER SONS.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pigs noun US /pɪɡz/

plural of “pig” — domestic swine

From this reading “THE FUNNY PIGS.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
spacious adjective US /ˈspeɪʃəs/

very large in expanse or scope

From this reading “Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suiting noun US /ˈsuːtɪŋ/

a fabric used for suits

From this reading “Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
underground adjective US /ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/

under the level of the ground

From this reading “Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 47

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.

11

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

From this reading LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.

Pending verification
adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE MOUSE AND HER SONS.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
CnounUS /siː/

a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature

From this reading LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
COLOUREDadjectiveUS /ˈkʌlərd/

having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination

From this reading WITH LAUGHABLE COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DEANnounUS /diːn/

an administrator in charge of a division of a university or college

From this reading LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
degreenounUS /dɪˈɡriː/

a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dwellingnounUS /ˈdwelɪŋ/

housing that someone is living in

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EnounUS /iː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body

From this reading LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ENGRAVINGSnounUS /ɪnˈɡreɪvɪŋz/

plural of “engraving” — a print made from an engraving

From this reading WITH LAUGHABLE COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FUNNYadjectiveUS /ˈfʌni/

arousing or provoking laughter

From this reading THE FUNNY PIGS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HERdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HILLnounUS /hɪl/

a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LAUGHABLEadjectiveUS /ˈlæfəbəl/

so unreasonable as to invite derision

From this reading WITH LAUGHABLE COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
livedverbUS /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LONDONnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LUDGATE

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

From this reading LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.

Pending verification
mistressnounUS /ˈmɪstrəs/

an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MOUSEnounUS /maʊs/

any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails

From this reading THE MOUSE AND HER SONS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OnceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PIGSnounUS /pɪɡz/

plural of “pig” — domestic swine

From this reading THE FUNNY PIGS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
richadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SolenounUS /soʊl/

the underside of footwear or a golf club

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SONnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SONSnounUS /sʌnz/

plural of “son” — a male human offspring

From this reading LONDON: DEAN & SON, 11, LUDGATE HILL, E. C. HER SONS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
spaciousadjectiveUS /ˈspeɪʃəs/

very large in expanse or scope

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
squareverbUS /skwer/

make square

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suitingnounUS /ˈsuːtɪŋ/

a fabric used for suits

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE FUNNY PIGS.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TisnounUS /tɪz/

plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
undergroundadjectiveUS /ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/

under the level of the ground

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Once on a time there lived a Mouse, Sole mistress of a spacious house, And rich as mouse need be: 'Tis true her dwelling, underground, Was neither long, nor square, nor round, But suiting her degree.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WITHprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading WITH LAUGHABLE COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 1 of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her by Unknown holds 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 1 of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her contain?

Chapter 1 holds 106 sentences of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her by Unknown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 1 of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her?

Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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.

Questions about reading Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her

Common questions about reading Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her by Unknown on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her?

Yes. All 106 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25458 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #25458, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her take to read?

About 8 minutes of reading across 22 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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How to work through Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her

Words and structures a reader meets early in Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Funny
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Laughable
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Coloured
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Engravings
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Surprising Stories about the Mouse and Her; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.