Chapter 2 of The Burgess Bird Book for Children is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Burgess Bird Book for Children is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in. “I can save you that trouble,” said he. “What do you mean?” Jenny's voice was very sharp. “Only that our old house is already occupied,” replied Peter.
Chapter 2 of The Burgess Bird Book for Children is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading “Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.”
United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading “Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.”
possessive form of “jenny” — United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading “Jenny's voice was very sharp.”
held or filled or in use
From this reading ““Only that our old house is already occupied,” replied Peter.”
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's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.”
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading “Jenny's voice was very sharp.”
past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.”
English architect who designed more than fifty London churches (1632-1723)
From this reading “Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.”
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.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading “Only that our old house is already occupied,” replied Peter.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “I can save you that trouble,” said he.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you mean?”
opinion or judgment
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I can save you that trouble,” said he.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I can save you that trouble,” said he.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Only that our old house is already occupied,” replied Peter.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
possessive form of “jenny” — United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading Jenny's voice was very sharp.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “What do you mean?”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
held or filled or in use
From this reading “Only that our old house is already occupied,” replied Peter.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
and nothing more
From this reading “Only that our old house is already occupied,” replied Peter.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “Only that our old house is already occupied,” replied Peter.
above and across; more than
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
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's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Only that our old house is already occupied,” replied Peter.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
except for; apart from
From this reading “I can save you that trouble,” said he.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Jenny's voice was very sharp.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
a source of difficulty
From this reading “I can save you that trouble,” said he.
past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
precisely as stated
From this reading Jenny's voice was very sharp.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Jenny's voice was very sharp.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you mean?”
at the time that
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
English architect who designed more than fifty London churches (1632-1723)
From this reading Peter Rabbit's eyes twinkled when Jenny Wren said that she must look her old house over to see if it was fit to live in.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I can save you that trouble,” said he.
Chapter 2 of The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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.
Chapter 2 holds 91 sentences of The Burgess Bird Book for Children, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 2 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 Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5090 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3074 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3074, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 424 minutes of reading across 1018 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Burgess Bird Book for Children section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Burgess Bird Book for Children 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 Burgess Bird Book for Children, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
