Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Theodore Wood • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V
Context Illustration Reading 1/15 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.
First among the monkeys come the apes.
And first among the apes come the chimpanzees, almost the largest of all monkeys.
CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.
And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.
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 Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.
/eɪps ənd ˈɡɪbɪnz fɜːrst əˈmʌŋ ðə ˈmæməlz kʌm ðə ˈmʌŋkiz/
Line 2
First among the monkeys come the apes.
/fɜːrst əˈmʌŋ ðə ˈmʌŋkiz kʌm ðə eɪps/
Line 3
And first among the apes come the chimpanzees, almost the largest of all monkeys.
/ənd fɜːrst əˈmʌŋ ðə eɪps kʌm ðə tʃɪmˈpænziz ˈɔːlmoʊst ðə ˈlɑːrdʒəst ʌv ɔːl ˈmʌŋkiz/
Line 4
CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.
/tʃɪmˈpænziz wen ɪt ɪz ˈfʊli ɡroʊn ə meɪl tʃɪmˈpænzi stændz ˈnɪrli faɪv fiːt haɪ/
Line 5
And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.
/ənd ɪt wʊd biː ˈiːvɪn ˈtɔːlər stɪl ɪf ˈoʊnli ɪt kʊd stænd əˈpraɪt/

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.

apes noun US /eɪps/

plural of “ape” — any of various primates with short tails or no tail at all

From this reading “APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chimpanzee noun US /tʃɪmˈpænzi/

intelligent somewhat arboreal ape of equatorial African forests

From this reading “CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chimpanzees noun US /tʃɪmˈpænziz/

plural of “chimpanzee” — intelligent somewhat arboreal ape of equatorial African forests

From this reading “And first among the apes come the chimpanzees, almost the largest of all monkeys.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gibbons noun US /ˈɡɪbɪnz/

plural of “gibbon” — English historian best known for his history of the Roman Empire (1737-1794)

From this reading “APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
largest adjective US /ˈlɑːrdʒəst/

superlative of “large” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading “And first among the apes come the chimpanzees, almost the largest of all monkeys.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mammals noun US /ˈmæməlz/

plural of “mammal” — any warm-blooded vertebrate having the skin more or less covered with hair; young are born alive except for the small subclass of monotremes and nourished with milk

From this reading “APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
monkeys noun US /ˈmʌŋkiz/

plural of “monkey” — any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)

From this reading “APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
taller adjective US /ˈtɔːlər/

comparative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading “And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

stand upright verb + adjective

In this reading “And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.”

1,001 times in 426,211 chapters
five feet noun + noun counted as “five foot”

In this reading “CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.”

4,225 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 37

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
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 And first among the apes come the chimpanzees, almost the largest of all monkeys.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

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

From this reading And first among the apes come the chimpanzees, almost the largest of all monkeys.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
APESnounUS /eɪps/

plural of “ape” — any of various primates with short tails or no tail at all

From this reading APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
chimpanzeenounUS /tʃɪmˈpænzi/

intelligent somewhat arboreal ape of equatorial African forests

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chimpanzeesnounUS /tʃɪmˈpænziz/

plural of “chimpanzee” — intelligent somewhat arboreal ape of equatorial African forests

From this reading And first among the apes come the chimpanzees, almost the largest of all monkeys.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fullyadverbUS /ˈfʊli/

to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GIBBONSnounUS /ˈɡɪbɪnz/

plural of “gibbon” — English historian best known for his history of the Roman Empire (1737-1794)

From this reading APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grownadjectiveUS /ɡroʊn/

(of animals) fully developed

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
largestadjectiveUS /ˈlɑːrdʒəst/

superlative of “large” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading And first among the apes come the chimpanzees, almost the largest of all monkeys.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
malenounUS /meɪl/

an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mammalsnounUS /ˈmæməlz/

plural of “mammal” — any warm-blooded vertebrate having the skin more or less covered with hair; young are born alive except for the small subclass of monotremes and nourished with milk

From this reading APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
monkeysnounUS /ˈmʌŋkiz/

plural of “monkey” — any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)

From this reading APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nearlyadverbUS /ˈnɪrli/

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

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And first among the apes come the chimpanzees, almost the largest of all monkeys.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
standsnounUS /stændz/

plural of “stand” — a support or foundation

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
talleradjectiveUS /ˈtɔːlər/

comparative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.

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 APES AND GIBBONS First among the mammals come the monkeys.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
uprightadjectiveUS /əˈpraɪt/

in a vertical position; not sloping

From this reading And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading CHIMPANZEES When it is fully grown a male chimpanzee stands nearly five feet high.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading And it would be even taller still if only it could stand upright.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 1 of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V by Theodore Wood holds 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V contain?

Chapter 1 holds 79 sentences of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V by Theodore Wood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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 The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V

Common questions about reading The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V by Theodore Wood on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V?

Yes. All 7213 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42414 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #42414, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1443 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V section by section

How to work through The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V 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 Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Gibbons
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Among
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mammals
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.