Chapter 1 of The Little Mother Goose is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Little Mother Goose is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
What will poor Betty do? Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two. Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all. Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old. Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
Chapter 1 of The Little Mother Goose is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 50/64 · 5 reading units · Lines 246–250
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.
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading “Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.”
become quiet or still; fall silent
From this reading “Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.”
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.”
possessive form of “night” — the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.”
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading “Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.”
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading “Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.”
fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading “Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.”
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 “Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.”
In this reading “Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.”
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 Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
(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 Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What will poor Betty do?
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What will poor Betty do?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
take in solid food
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
at any time
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
become quiet or still; fall silent
From this reading Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
possessive form of “night” — the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading What will poor Betty do?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Jerry Hall, he is so small, A rat could eat him, hat and all.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Friday night's dream, on Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old.
fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ring-a-round-a roses, A pocket full of posies; Hush--hush--hush-- We'll all tumble down.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What will poor Betty do?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, give her another, To match the other, And then she will walk in two.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading What will poor Betty do?
Chapter 1 of The Little Mother Goose by Jessie Willcox [Illustrator] Smith holds 324 sentences, grouped into 65 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 1 holds 324 sentences of The Little Mother Goose, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Little Mother Goose by Jessie Willcox [Illustrator] Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 324 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 1 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 Mother Goose by Jessie Willcox [Illustrator] Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 885 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20511 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20511, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 73 minutes of reading across 177 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Little Mother Goose section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Little Mother Goose 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 Mother Goose, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
