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

Chapter XXX

Chapter 30 of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 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 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.
These are easily distinguished.
Some of the reptiles, it is true, are very fish-like.
But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.
Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.
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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 XXX

Chapter 30 of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.
Line 2
These are easily distinguished.
/ðiːz ɑːr ˈiːzəli dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/
Line 3
Some of the reptiles, it is true, are very fish-like.
Line 4
But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.
/bʌt ðen ðeɪ hæv θriː ˈtʃeɪmbərz ɪn ðer hɑːrts waɪl ðə truː ˈfɪʃəz ˈoʊnli hæv tuː/
Line 5
Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.
/ðen ˈfɪʃəz ˈnevər hæv lɪmz ðə pleɪs ʌv wɪtʃ ɪz ˈteɪkən baɪ fɪnz ənd ˈfɜːrðər ðeɪ briːð ˈwɔːtər baɪ miːnz ʌv ɡɪlz/

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.

chambers noun US /ˈtʃeɪmbərz/

English architect (1723-1796)

From this reading “But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
consists verb US /kənˈsɪsts/

third-person singular of “consist” — originate

From this reading “FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fins noun US /fɪnz/

plural of “fin” — the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading “Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fishes noun US /ˈfɪʃəz/

plural of “fish” — any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills

From this reading “FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gills noun US /ɡɪlz/

plural of “gill” — a British imperial capacity unit (liquid or dry) equal to 5 fluid ounces or 142.066 cubic centimeters

From this reading “Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lowest adjective US /ˈloʊəst/

lowest in rank or importance

From this reading “FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reptiles noun US /ˈreptaɪlz/

plural of “reptile” — any cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia including tortoises, turtles, snakes, lizards, alligators, crocodiles, and extinct forms

From this reading “Some of the reptiles, it is true, are very fish-like.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
vertebrate noun US /ˈvɜːrtəbreɪt/

animals having a bony or cartilaginous skeleton with a segmented spinal column and a large brain enclosed in a skull or cranium

From this reading “FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.”

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.

lowest class adjective + noun

In this reading “FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.”

354 times in 426,211 chapters
easily distinguished adverb + adjective

In this reading “These are easily distinguished.”

308 times in 426,211 chapters
by means preposition + noun

In this reading “Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.”

17,819 times in 426,211 chapters
consists of verb + particle counted as “consist of”

In this reading “FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.”

22,160 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 45

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
animalsnounUS /ˈænəməlz/

plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading These are easily distinguished.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
breatheverbUS /briːð/

draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
chambersnounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbərz/

English architect (1723-1796)

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
classnounUS /klæs/

a collection of things sharing a common attribute

From this reading FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
consistsverbUS /kənˈsɪsts/

third-person singular of “consist” — originate

From this reading FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
distinguishedadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/

(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation

From this reading These are easily distinguished.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
easilyadverbUS /ˈiːzəli/

with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)

From this reading These are easily distinguished.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
finsnounUS /fɪnz/

plural of “fin” — the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fish-like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some of the reptiles, it is true, are very fish-like.

Pending verification
FISHESnounUS /ˈfɪʃəz/

plural of “fish” — any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills

From this reading FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FRESH-WATER

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.

Pending verification
furtheradverbUS /ˈfɜːrðər/

to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gillsnounUS /ɡɪlz/

plural of “gill” — a British imperial capacity unit (liquid or dry) equal to 5 fluid ounces or 142.066 cubic centimeters

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heartsnounUS /hɑːrts/

a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

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 Some of the reptiles, it is true, are very fish-like.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Some of the reptiles, it is true, are very fish-like.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
limbsnounUS /lɪmz/

plural of “limb” — one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lowestadjectiveUS /ˈloʊəst/

lowest in rank or importance

From this reading FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
meansnounUS /miːnz/

thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reptilesnounUS /ˈreptaɪlz/

plural of “reptile” — any cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia including tortoises, turtles, snakes, lizards, alligators, crocodiles, and extinct forms

From this reading Some of the reptiles, it is true, are very fish-like.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SomeadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Some of the reptiles, it is true, are very fish-like.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

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 FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading These are easily distinguished.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading Some of the reptiles, it is true, are very fish-like.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
vertebratenounUS /ˈvɜːrtəbreɪt/

animals having a bony or cartilaginous skeleton with a segmented spinal column and a large brain enclosed in a skull or cranium

From this reading FRESH-WATER FISHES The lowest class of the vertebrate animals consists of the fishes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Some of the reptiles, it is true, are very fish-like.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
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 Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Then fishes never have limbs, the place of which is taken by fins; and further, they breathe water by means of gills.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading But then they have three chambers in their hearts, while the true fishes only have two.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 30 of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V by Theodore Wood holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 30 of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V contain?

Chapter 30 holds 139 sentences of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 30 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 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 30 of The Animal World, A Book of Natural History — Volume V?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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 30 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 30 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.