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The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder
The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Charles H. (Charles Henry) Bennett • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder
Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
London Griffith and Farran.
Corner of St Pauls' Churchyard.
1860.
This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.
For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
London Griffith and Farran.
Line 2
Corner of St Pauls' Churchyard.
Line 3
1860.
Line 4
This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.
/ðɪs teɪl ʌv ˈwʌndər ɪz toʊld fɔːr ˈtʃɪldrən wɪð wɪtʃ vjuː ɪt hæz bɪn ˈkerfəli dɪˈzaɪnd ənd ˈveri ˈnaɪsli ˈprɪntɪd/
Line 5
For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.
/fɔːr sʌm taɪm pæst ɪt hæz ərˈaɪvd æt ðə ˈdɪɡnəti ʌv ə ˈpɑːpjələr ˈnɜːrsəri teɪl ɪn ðə ˈɔːθərz ˈfæməli ənd ɪt ɪz hoʊpt ɪt wɪl ˈmerət ðə seɪm ɡʊd ˈfɔːrtʃən ˈelswer/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Author's noun US /ˈɔːθərz/

possessive form of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading “For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Churchyard noun US /ˈtʃɜːrtʃjɑːrd/

the yard associated with a church

From this reading “Corner of St Pauls' Churchyard.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
designed adjective US /dɪˈzaɪnd/

done or made or performed with purpose and intent

From this reading “This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Griffith noun US /ˈɡrɪfəθ/

United States film maker who was the first to use flashbacks and fade-outs (1875-1948)

From this reading “London Griffith and Farran.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
merit noun US /ˈmerət/

any admirable quality or attribute

From this reading “For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nicely adverb US /ˈnaɪsli/

in a nice way

From this reading “This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Nursery noun US /ˈnɜːrsəri/

a child's room for a baby

From this reading “For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Pauls noun US /pɔːlz/

plural of “paul” — United States feminist (1885-1977)

From this reading “Corner of St Pauls' Churchyard.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 48

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.

1860

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 1860.

Pending verification
adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading London Griffith and Farran.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Author'snounUS /ˈɔːθərz/

possessive form of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
carefullyadverbUS /ˈkerfəli/

taking care or paying attention

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ChurchyardnounUS /ˈtʃɜːrtʃjɑːrd/

the yard associated with a church

From this reading Corner of St Pauls' Churchyard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CornernounUS /ˈkɔːrnər/

a place off to the side of an area

From this reading Corner of St Pauls' Churchyard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
designedadjectiveUS /dɪˈzaɪnd/

done or made or performed with purpose and intent

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dignitynounUS /ˈdɪɡnəti/

the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
elsewhereadverbUS /ˈelswer/

in or to another place

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Farran

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading London Griffith and Farran.

Pending verification
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GriffithnounUS /ˈɡrɪfəθ/

United States film maker who was the first to use flashbacks and fade-outs (1875-1948)

From this reading London Griffith and Farran.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hopedverbUS /hoʊpt/

past form of “hope” — expect and wish

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading London Griffith and Farran.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
meritnounUS /ˈmerət/

any admirable quality or attribute

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nicelyadverbUS /ˈnaɪsli/

in a nice way

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NurserynounUS /ˈnɜːrsəri/

a child's room for a baby

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Corner of St Pauls' Churchyard.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
pastnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PaulsnounUS /pɔːlz/

plural of “paul” — United States feminist (1885-1977)

From this reading Corner of St Pauls' Churchyard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
popularadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːpjələr/

regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
printedverbUS /ˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “print” — put into print

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

Velmora curated lexicon
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
St

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Corner of St Pauls' Churchyard.

Pending verification
talenounUS /teɪl/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
viewnounUS /vjuː/

a way of regarding situations or topics etc.

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading For some time past, it has arrived at the dignity of a popular Nursery Tale in the Author's family; and it is hoped it will merit the same good fortune elsewhere.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wondernounUS /ˈwʌndər/

the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising

From this reading This tale of wonder is told for children; with which view, it has been carefully designed and very nicely printed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 1 of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder by Charles H. (Charles Henry) Bennett holds 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

What does chapter 1 of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder contain?

Chapter 1 holds 51 sentences of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder by Charles H. (Charles Henry) Bennett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder

Common questions about reading The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder by Charles H. (Charles Henry) Bennett on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder?

Yes. All 51 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23318 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #23318, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 11 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder section by section

How to work through The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

London
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Griffith
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Farran
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Corner
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Nine Lives of A Cat: A Tale of Wonder; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.