Chapter 12 of The little elves seeking the beautiful world is here in full — 35 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The little elves seeking the beautiful world is here in full — 35 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat. “Who is there?” piped a thin, squeaky voice. “It is I, Grandfather Grasshopper, with some friends,” he answered. “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice. “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
Chapter 12 of The little elves seeking the beautiful world is here in full — 35 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/7 · 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.
-ing form of “bother” — take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading ““What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.”
the father of your father or mother
From this reading ““It is I, Grandfather Grasshopper, with some friends,” he answered.”
terrestrial plant-eating insect with hind legs adapted for leaping
From this reading “The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.”
past form of “pipe” — utter a shrill cry
From this reading ““Who is there?” piped a thin, squeaky voice.”
inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply
From this reading “The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.”
having or making a high-pitched sound such as that made by a mouse or a rusty hinge
From this reading ““Who is there?” piped a thin, squeaky voice.”
walk stiffly
From this reading “The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.”
annual or biennial grass having erect flower spikes and light brown grains
From this reading “The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.”
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.
In this reading ““I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.””
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 The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “It is I, Grandfather Grasshopper, with some friends,” he answered.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
-ing form of “bother” — take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
a social unit living together
From this reading “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “It is I, Grandfather Grasshopper, with some friends,” he answered.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading “It is I, Grandfather Grasshopper, with some friends,” he answered.
terrestrial plant-eating insect with hind legs adapted for leaping
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “It is I, Grandfather Grasshopper, with some friends,” he answered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “It is I, Grandfather Grasshopper, with some friends,” he answered.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Who is there?” piped a thin, squeaky voice.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It is I, Grandfather Grasshopper, with some friends,” he answered.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
held up in the air
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
past form of “pipe” — utter a shrill cry
From this reading “Who is there?” piped a thin, squeaky voice.
inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
Identical; not different.
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “It is I, Grandfather Grasshopper, with some friends,” he answered.
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
having or making a high-pitched sound such as that made by a mouse or a rusty hinge
From this reading “Who is there?” piped a thin, squeaky voice.
walk stiffly
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Who is there?” piped a thin, squeaky voice.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading “Who is there?” piped a thin, squeaky voice.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
precisely as stated
From this reading “I am very busy with my family, and I cannot spend time to talk.”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Who is there?” piped a thin, squeaky voice.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
annual or biennial grass having erect flower spikes and light brown grains
From this reading The grasshopper lifted up his leg and rapped on a stalk of wheat.
which person or people
From this reading “Who is there?” piped a thin, squeaky voice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “It is I, Grandfather Grasshopper, with some friends,” he answered.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What do you want? what are you bothering me about?” inquired the same little voice.
Chapter 12 of The little elves seeking the beautiful world by Lucy Hamilton Warner holds 35 sentences, grouped into 7 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 12 holds 35 sentences of The little elves seeking the beautiful world, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The little elves seeking the beautiful world by Lucy Hamilton Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 35 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 12 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 little elves seeking the beautiful world by Lucy Hamilton Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The little elves seeking the beautiful world section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The little elves seeking the beautiful world 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 little elves seeking the beautiful world, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
