Chapter 5 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors. You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam. And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store. Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure! So he kept right on building his dam.
Chapter 5 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
the soft brown fur of the beaver
From this reading “Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.”
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading “You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.”
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading “You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.”
light informal conversation for social occasions
From this reading “Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure!”
(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Irish descent
From this reading “Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.”
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading “And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.”
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading “You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.”
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading “Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.”
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 You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure!
the soft brown fur of the beaver
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading So he kept right on building his dam.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
light informal conversation for social occasions
From this reading Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading So he kept right on building his dam.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
not in action or at work
From this reading Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.
and nothing more
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure!
not any; not one
From this reading Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Irish descent
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So he kept right on building his dam.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Oh, Paddy the Beaver had no time for idle gossip, you may be sure!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
at the time that
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading And when that was done there was a house to build and a supply of food for the winter to cut and store.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading Paddy the Beaver kept right on working just as if he hadn't any visitors.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You see, it is a big undertaking to build a dam.
Chapter 5 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 50 sentences, grouped into 10 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 5 holds 50 sentences of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 50 sentences, grouped into 10 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 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 10 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 The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 994 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2493 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2493, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 82 minutes of reading across 199 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver 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 Paddy the Beaver, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
