Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver
The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver
Context Illustration Reading 1/8 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.
All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.
It was very beautiful and very still and very lonesome.
That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.
But Paddy never is lonesome.
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.

The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/8 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.
/ˈpædi ðə ˈbiːvər sæt ɑːn hɪz dæm ənd hɪz aɪz ʃoʊn wɪð ˈhæpinəs æz hiː lʊkt aʊt ˈoʊvər ðə ˈʃaɪnɪŋ ˈwɔːtər ʌv ðə pɑːnd hiː hæd meɪd/
Line 2
All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.
/ɔːl ərˈaʊnd ðə edʒ ʌv ɪt ɡruː ðə tɔːl triːz ʌv ðə ɡriːn ˈfɔːrəst/
Line 3
It was very beautiful and very still and very lonesome.
/ɪt wɑːz ˈveri ˈbjuːtəfəl ənd ˈveri stɪl ənd ˈveri ˈloʊnsəm/
Line 4
That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.
/ðæt ɪz ɪt wʊd hæv siːmd ˈloʊnsəm tuː ˈɔːlmoʊst ˈeniwʌn bʌt ˈpædi ðə ˈbiːvər/
Line 5
But Paddy never is lonesome.
/bʌt ˈpædi ˈnevər ɪz ˈloʊnsəm/

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.

anyone pronoun US /ˈeniwʌn/

any person at all

From this reading “That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.”

Beaver noun US /ˈbiːvər/

the soft brown fur of the beaver

From this reading “Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.”

dam noun US /dæm/

a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea

From this reading “Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.”

lonesome adjective US /ˈloʊnsəm/

being the only one; single and isolated from others

From this reading “It was very beautiful and very still and very lonesome.”

Paddy noun US /ˈpædi/

(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Irish descent

From this reading “Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.”

pond noun US /pɑːnd/

a small lake

From this reading “Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.”

shining adjective US /ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/

marked by exceptional merit

From this reading “Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.”

shone verb US /ʃoʊn/

inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light

From this reading “Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.”

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.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

anyonepronounUS /ˈeniwʌn/

any person at all

From this reading That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading It was very beautiful and very still and very lonesome.

BeavernounUS /ˈbiːvər/

the soft brown fur of the beaver

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.

damnounUS /dæm/

a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

edgenounUS /edʒ/

the boundary of a surface

From this reading All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

ForestnounUS /ˈfɔːrəst/

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.

GreennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.

grewverbUS /ɡruː/

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

happinessnounUS /ˈhæpinəs/

state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.

lonesomeadjectiveUS /ˈloʊnsəm/

being the only one; single and isolated from others

From this reading It was very beautiful and very still and very lonesome.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading But Paddy never is lonesome.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

PaddynounUS /ˈpædi/

(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Irish descent

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

pondnounUS /pɑːnd/

a small lake

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.

shiningadjectiveUS /ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/

marked by exceptional merit

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

shoneverbUS /ʃoʊn/

inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading It was very beautiful and very still and very lonesome.

talladjectiveUS /tɔːl/

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.

treesnounUS /triːz/

plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading It was very beautiful and very still and very lonesome.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was very beautiful and very still and very lonesome.

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver.

Chapter 9 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 40 sentences, grouped into 8 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.

What does chapter 9 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver contain?

Chapter 9 holds 40 sentences of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 40 sentences, grouped into 8 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 9 of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver?

Work through the 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 8 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 9 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 9 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 The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver

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.

Is this the complete text of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver?

Yes. All 994 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2493 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2493, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver take to read?

About 82 minutes of reading across 199 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver section by section

How to work through The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Night
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
While
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stars
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Shining
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.