Chapter 1 of The tale of Bobby Bobolink is here in full — 479 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The tale of Bobby Bobolink is here in full — 479 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen. They were expecting somebody. "Have you seen him?" Rusty Wren asked Jolly Robin. Jolly Robin said that he hadn't; but he added that he was on the lookout.
Chapter 1 of The tale of Bobby Bobolink is here in full — 479 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “They were expecting somebody.”
adorned with feathers or plumes
From this reading “ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.”
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading “ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “Rusty Wren asked Jolly Robin.”
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “Jolly Robin said that he hadn't; but he added that he was on the lookout.”
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading “Rusty Wren asked Jolly Robin.”
covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading “Rusty Wren asked Jolly Robin.”
English architect who designed more than fifty London churches (1632-1723)
From this reading “Rusty Wren asked Jolly Robin.”
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Jolly Robin said that he hadn't; but he added that he was on the lookout.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Rusty Wren asked Jolly Robin.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Jolly Robin said that he hadn't; but he added that he was on the lookout.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading They were expecting somebody.
adorned with feathers or plumes
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jolly Robin said that he hadn't; but he added that he was on the lookout.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you seen him?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Jolly Robin said that he hadn't; but he added that he was on the lookout.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Have you seen him?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading Rusty Wren asked Jolly Robin.
hear with intention
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading Jolly Robin said that he hadn't; but he added that he was on the lookout.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading Rusty Wren asked Jolly Robin.
covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading Rusty Wren asked Jolly Robin.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Jolly Robin said that he hadn't; but he added that he was on the lookout.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Have you seen him?"
a person, without saying who
From this reading They were expecting somebody.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Jolly Robin said that he hadn't; but he added that he was on the lookout.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were expecting somebody.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading ON May Day the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley began to stop, look and listen.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jolly Robin said that he hadn't; but he added that he was on the lookout.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were expecting somebody.
English architect who designed more than fifty London churches (1632-1723)
From this reading Rusty Wren asked Jolly Robin.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you seen him?"
Chapter 1 of The tale of Bobby Bobolink by Arthur Scott Bailey holds 479 sentences, grouped into 96 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 479 sentences of The tale of Bobby Bobolink, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The tale of Bobby Bobolink by Arthur Scott Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 479 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 tale of Bobby Bobolink by Arthur Scott Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 956 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21412 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21412, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 79 minutes of reading across 192 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The tale of Bobby Bobolink section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The tale of Bobby Bobolink 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 tale of Bobby Bobolink, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
