Chapter 1 of The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 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 Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c. ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town. She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs! One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so! "I've lost my pocket-handkin!
Chapter 1 of The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c.”
demanding attention
From this reading “One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!”
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading “ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.”
plural of “handkerchief” — a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading “She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!”
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!”
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!”
any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading “Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c.”
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 “Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c.”
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 ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!
demanding attention
From this reading One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!
a young female
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!
plural of “handkerchief” — a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've lost my pocket-handkin!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading "I've lost my pocket-handkin!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I've lost my pocket-handkin!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!
on one occasion
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!
and nothing more
From this reading She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've lost my pocket-handkin!
any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was a good little girl--only she was always losing her pocket- handkerchiefs!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying-- oh, she did cry so!
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 Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", &c.
in or at that place or location
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
which person or people
From this reading ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town.
Chapter 1 of The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter holds 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 82 sentences of The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 82 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12103 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12103, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 6 minutes of reading across 17 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle 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 Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
