Chapter 8 of The Graymouse Family is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Graymouse Family is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VISITING MRS. FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing. Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake. Mother Graymouse usually visited her each year in August. The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
Chapter 8 of The Graymouse Family is here in full — 94 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.
completing its life cycle within a year
From this reading “FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.”
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading “Mother Graymouse usually visited her each year in August.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.”
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading “Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.”
June 21, when the sun is at its northernmost point
From this reading “FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.”
a journey taken for pleasure
From this reading “FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.”
a small lake
From this reading “Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.”
the activity of making visits
From this reading “VISITING MRS.”
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 Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
completing its life cycle within a year
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading Mother Graymouse usually visited her each year in August.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Mother Graymouse usually visited her each year in August.
a social unit living together
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
June 21, when the sun is at its northernmost point
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading VISITING MRS.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
a journey taken for pleasure
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
a small lake
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading FIELD-MOUSE One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family started upon their annual outing.
under normal conditions
From this reading Mother Graymouse usually visited her each year in August.
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading Mother Graymouse usually visited her each year in August.
the activity of making visits
From this reading VISITING MRS.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
which person or people
From this reading Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived near Pond Lily Lake.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Mother Graymouse usually visited her each year in August.
Chapter 8 of The Graymouse Family by Nellie M. (Nellie Mabel) Leonard holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 94 sentences of The Graymouse Family, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Graymouse Family by Nellie M. (Nellie Mabel) Leonard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 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 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 Graymouse Family by Nellie M. (Nellie Mabel) Leonard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 963 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7767 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7767, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 80 minutes of reading across 193 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Graymouse Family section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Graymouse Family 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 Graymouse Family, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
