Chapter 1 of The tale of Fatty Coon is here in full — 551 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The tale of Fatty Coon is here in full — 551 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle. But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you. Fatty loved to eat. Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world. That was what made him so fat.
Chapter 1 of The tale of Fatty Coon is here in full — 551 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/110 · 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.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading “But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.”
an eccentric or undignified rustic
From this reading “Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.”
the act of consuming food
From this reading “Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world.”
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading “Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.”
containing or composed of fat
From this reading “Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.”
the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
From this reading “Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.”
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading “Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.”
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading “Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.”
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 Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
any thing at all
From this reading Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
an eccentric or undignified rustic
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
take in solid food
From this reading Fatty loved to eat.
the act of consuming food
From this reading Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world.
opinion or judgment
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
containing or composed of fat
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
held dear
From this reading Fatty loved to eat.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading That was what made him so fat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
resembling a plume
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Fatty loved to eat.
precisely as stated
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading That was what made him so fat.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with a plumelike tail for a handle.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes—he loved eating better than anything else in the world.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But if you looked at him closely you would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you.
Chapter 1 of The tale of Fatty Coon by Arthur Scott Bailey holds 551 sentences, grouped into 111 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 551 sentences of The tale of Fatty Coon, unabridged, divided into 111 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The tale of Fatty Coon by Arthur Scott Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 551 sentences, grouped into 111 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 111 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 111 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 Fatty Coon by Arthur Scott Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1088 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5701 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5701, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 90 minutes of reading across 218 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The tale of Fatty Coon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The tale of Fatty Coon 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 Fatty Coon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
