Chapter 5 of The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan." "Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!" "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?" "Oh I do feel so ill ALL OVER me, my dear Ribby." "Shall I run for the doctor?"
Chapter 5 of The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “"Shall I run for the doctor?"”
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading “"It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “"Oh I do feel so ill ALL OVER me, my dear Ribby."”
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “"It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."”
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading “"Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"”
a support placed beneath or against something to keep it from shaking or falling
From this reading “"Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"”
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “"Shall I run for the doctor?"”
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “"Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!"”
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 "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
(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 "Oh I do feel so ill ALL OVER me, my dear Ribby."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!"
dearly loved
From this reading "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Shall I run for the doctor?"
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Shall I run for the doctor?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!"
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "Oh I do feel so ill ALL OVER me, my dear Ribby."
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh I do feel so ill ALL OVER me, my dear Ribby."
above and across; more than
From this reading "Oh I do feel so ill ALL OVER me, my dear Ribby."
a pan for cooking patties or pasties
From this reading "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
a support placed beneath or against something to keep it from shaking or falling
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!"
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading "Shall I run for the doctor?"
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "Shall I run for the doctor?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Oh I do feel so ill ALL OVER me, my dear Ribby."
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!"
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading "Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Shall I run for the doctor?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan."
in or at the place that
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?"
Chapter 5 of The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 5 holds 140 sentences of The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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 Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1924 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #572 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #572, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 160 minutes of reading across 385 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter 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 Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
