Chapter 3 of The Nursery Rhymes of England is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Nursery Rhymes of England is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CLIII. Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet! [This appears to be an old hunting song. _Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_. It occurs in Chaucer, Leg.
Chapter 3 of The Nursery Rhymes of England is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading “Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!”
English poet remembered as author of the Canterbury Tales (1340-1400)
From this reading “It occurs in Chaucer, Leg.”
a person or thing equal to another in value or measure or force or effect or significance etc
From this reading “_Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.”
the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
From this reading “[This appears to be an old hunting song.”
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 “It occurs in Chaucer, Leg.”
third-person singular of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading “It occurs in Chaucer, Leg.”
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading “_Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.”
exhibiting or calling for sportsmanship or fair play
From this reading “_Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.”
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.
cooperate or pretend to cooperate
In this reading “_Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.”
In this reading “It occurs in Chaucer, Leg.”
In this reading “Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!”
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 _Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading _Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading [This appears to be an old hunting song.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading _Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.
third-person singular of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading [This appears to be an old hunting song.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading [This appears to be an old hunting song.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
English poet remembered as author of the Canterbury Tales (1340-1400)
From this reading It occurs in Chaucer, Leg.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLIII.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
a person or thing equal to another in value or measure or force or effect or significance etc
From this reading _Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
From this reading [This appears to be an old hunting song.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It occurs in Chaucer, Leg.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It occurs in Chaucer, Leg.
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 It occurs in Chaucer, Leg.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
third-person singular of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading It occurs in Chaucer, Leg.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading _Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
deliver by singing
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
a short musical composition with words
From this reading [This appears to be an old hunting song.
exhibiting or calling for sportsmanship or fair play
From this reading _Go bet_ is a very ancient sporting phrase, equivalent to _go along_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading [This appears to be an old hunting song.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading [This appears to be an old hunting song.
precisely as stated
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
at the time that
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
in the company of; together with
From this reading Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet, Then I can sing with the Heigh go Bet!
Chapter 3 of The Nursery Rhymes of England by J. O. (James Orchard) [Compiler] Halliwell-Phillipps holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 3 holds 410 sentences of The Nursery Rhymes of England, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Nursery Rhymes of England by J. O. (James Orchard) [Compiler] Halliwell-Phillipps exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 3 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.
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