Chapter 5 of The Story of a Nodding Donkey is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Story of a Nodding Donkey is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming. So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see. "Be careful! You might fall!" mewed the China Cat. "Ha!
Chapter 5 of The Story of a Nodding Donkey is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “"Be careful!”
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.”
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading “THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.”
the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874
From this reading “THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.”
someone who doesn't understand what is going on
From this reading “THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.”
having branches or flower heads that bend downward
From this reading “THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.”
a member of a police force
From this reading “THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.”
A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.
From this reading “So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.”
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 LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Be careful!
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
a youthful male person
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading "Be careful!
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading You might fall!" mewed the China Cat.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
(astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing; the right ascension for an observer at a particular location and time of day
From this reading "Ha!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
and nothing more
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
someone who doesn't understand what is going on
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might fall!" mewed the China Cat.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading You might fall!" mewed the China Cat.
having branches or flower heads that bend downward
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
a member of a police force
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading So he walked to the edge of the shelf and bent his head as far down as he could in order to see.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
at the time that
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
which person or people
From this reading THE LAME BOY When the China Cat said: "Here comes the Policeman!" the Nodding Donkey, who did not know just what a policeman was, was quite curious to see who was coming.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You might fall!" mewed the China Cat.
Chapter 5 of The Story of a Nodding Donkey by Laura Lee Hope holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 5 holds 133 sentences of The Story of a Nodding Donkey, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Story of a Nodding Donkey by Laura Lee Hope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 5 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 Story of a Nodding Donkey by Laura Lee Hope 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 Story of a Nodding Donkey section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Story of a Nodding Donkey 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 Story of a Nodding Donkey, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
