Chapter 1 of The Adventures of Grandfather Frog is here in full — 493 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Adventures of Grandfather Frog is here in full — 493 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc. Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook. His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can. As he passed Jerry Muskrat's house, Jerry saw him. "Hi, Billy Mink!
Chapter 1 of The Adventures of Grandfather Frog is here in full — 493 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/98 · 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.
plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading “Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.”
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading “Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.”
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “As he passed Jerry Muskrat's house, Jerry saw him.”
the expensive fur of a mink
From this reading “Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.”
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading “His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.”
an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading “Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.”
past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.”
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.
plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hi, Billy Mink!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As he passed Jerry Muskrat's house, Jerry saw him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading As he passed Jerry Muskrat's house, Jerry saw him.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading As he passed Jerry Muskrat's house, Jerry saw him.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
the expensive fur of a mink
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he passed Jerry Muskrat's house, Jerry saw him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
and nothing more
From this reading His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading As he passed Jerry Muskrat's house, Jerry saw him.
an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
cut with a saw
From this reading As he passed Jerry Muskrat's house, Jerry saw him.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook.
past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Author of _The Adventures of Reddy Fox_, _Old Mother West Wind_, etc.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can.
Chapter 1 of The Adventures of Grandfather Frog by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 493 sentences, grouped into 99 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 1 holds 493 sentences of The Adventures of Grandfather Frog, unabridged, divided into 99 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Adventures of Grandfather Frog by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 493 sentences, grouped into 99 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 99 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 99 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Adventures of Grandfather Frog by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 984 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14375 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14375, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 82 minutes of reading across 197 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Adventures of Grandfather Frog section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Adventures of Grandfather Frog 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 The Adventures of Grandfather Frog, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
