Chapter 8 of The Blue Birds' Winter Nest is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Blue Birds' Winter Nest is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments. Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them. "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr. "Oh, yes! Please do!
Chapter 8 of The Blue Birds' Winter Nest is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “"As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.”
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading “AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.”
a very small circular shape
From this reading “"As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.”
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.”
plural of “refreshment” — snacks and drinks served as a light meal
From this reading “AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.”
rock star and drummer for the Beatles (born in 1940)
From this reading “"As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.”
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading “AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “"As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.”
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 "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Please do!
a very small circular shape
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, yes!
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Please do!
plural of “refreshment” — snacks and drinks served as a light meal
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
rock star and drummer for the Beatles (born in 1940)
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
(used informally) very small
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
express in words
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading AUNT SELINA'S CIVIL WAR STORY The children thoroughly enjoyed their refreshments.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Aunt Selina did not care for any, so she sat smiling as she watched them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "As long as Flutey isn't busy, wouldn't it be nice to have her tell us a teeny-weeny bit of that war story?" ventured Dot Starr.
an affirmative
From this reading "Oh, yes!
Chapter 8 of The Blue Birds' Winter Nest by Lillian Elizabeth Roy holds 267 sentences, grouped into 54 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 8 holds 267 sentences of The Blue Birds' Winter Nest, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Blue Birds' Winter Nest by Lillian Elizabeth Roy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 267 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 8 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 Blue Birds' Winter Nest by Lillian Elizabeth Roy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2965 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23693 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23693, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 247 minutes of reading across 593 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blue Birds' Winter Nest section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Blue Birds' Winter Nest 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 Blue Birds' Winter Nest, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
