Chapter 1 of The Adventures of Peter Cottontail is here in full — 524 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Adventures of Peter Cottontail is here in full — 524 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Author of "The Adventures of Reddy Fox" "Old Mother West Wind," etc. |PETER RABBIT! Peter Rabbit! I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for. People laugh at me, but if I had a fine sounding name they wouldn't laugh.
Chapter 1 of The Adventures of Peter Cottontail is here in full — 524 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/104 · 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.”
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.”
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading “I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.”
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.”
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “|PETER RABBIT!”
any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading “|PETER RABBIT!”
appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms
From this reading “I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.”
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.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
wind that blows from west to east
In this reading “Author of "The Adventures of Reddy Fox" "Old Mother West Wind," etc.”
In this reading “Author of "The Adventures of Reddy Fox" "Old Mother West Wind," etc.”
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 I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading People laugh at me, but if I had a fine sounding name they wouldn't laugh.
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.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading People laugh at me, but if I had a fine sounding name they wouldn't laugh.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
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.
at any time
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading People laugh at me, but if I had a fine sounding name they wouldn't laugh.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
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.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading People laugh at me, but if I had a fine sounding name they wouldn't laugh.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading People laugh at me, but if I had a fine sounding name they wouldn't laugh.
the sound of laughing
From this reading People laugh at me, but if I had a fine sounding name they wouldn't laugh.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
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.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
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.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading People laugh at me, but if I had a fine sounding name they wouldn't laugh.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading |PETER RABBIT!
any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading |PETER RABBIT!
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.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
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.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading People laugh at me, but if I had a fine sounding name they wouldn't laugh.
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.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I don't see what Mother Nature ever gave me such a common sounding name as that for.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People laugh at me, but if I had a fine sounding name they wouldn't laugh.
Chapter 1 of The Adventures of Peter Cottontail by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 524 sentences, grouped into 105 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 524 sentences of The Adventures of Peter Cottontail, unabridged, divided into 105 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Adventures of Peter Cottontail by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 524 sentences, grouped into 105 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 105 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 105 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 Peter Cottontail by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1028 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46866 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46866, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 85 minutes of reading across 206 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Adventures of Peter Cottontail section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Adventures of Peter Cottontail 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 Peter Cottontail, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
