Chapter 17 of The Little White Bird is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Little White Bird is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing. Suddenly he flashed lightning on me. “It's not true,” he cried, “it's a lie!” He gripped my hand. “I sha'n't never forget you, father.”
Chapter 17 of The Little White Bird is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
United States singer (1918-1990)
From this reading “This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.”
tired of the world
From this reading “This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.”
the production of malt beverages (as beer or ale) from malt and hops by grinding and boiling them and fermenting the result with yeast
From this reading “This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.”
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading “This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.”
the end of a word (a suffix or inflectional ending or final morpheme)
From this reading “This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.”
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading “He gripped my hand.”
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading “Suddenly he flashed lightning on me.”
correct by punishment or discipline
From this reading “This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.”
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.
lose personal contact over time
In this reading “This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.”
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 This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
United States singer (1918-1990)
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
tired of the world
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
the production of malt beverages (as beer or ale) from malt and hops by grinding and boiling them and fermenting the result with yeast
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “It's not true,” he cried, “it's a lie!”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
the end of a word (a suffix or inflectional ending or final morpheme)
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “I sha'n't never forget you, father.”
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Suddenly he flashed lightning on me.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “I sha'n't never forget you, father.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading He gripped my hand.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He gripped my hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It's not true,” he cried, “it's a lie!”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “It's not true,” he cried, “it's a lie!”
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading Suddenly he flashed lightning on me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Suddenly he flashed lightning on me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “I sha'n't never forget you, father.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “It's not true,” he cried, “it's a lie!”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Suddenly he flashed lightning on me.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I sha'n't never forget you, father.”
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
not in physical motion
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly he flashed lightning on me.
correct by punishment or discipline
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “It's not true,” he cried, “it's a lie!”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This tame ending bored Bailey, and he drifted away from us, but David still walked by my side, and he was grown so quiet that I knew a storm was brewing.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I sha'n't never forget you, father.”
Chapter 17 of The Little White Bird by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 17 holds 167 sentences of The Little White Bird, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Little White Bird by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 17 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 White Bird by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2966 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1376 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1376, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 247 minutes of reading across 594 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Little White Bird section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Little White Bird 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 White Bird, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
