Chapter 3 of The tale of Nimble Deer is here in full — 466 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The tale of Nimble Deer is here in full — 466 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley. "I must be flapping along," he said. And off he went. Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back. And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
Chapter 3 of The tale of Nimble Deer is here in full — 466 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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.
dwell on with satisfaction
From this reading “But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.”
possessive form of “crow” — black birds having a raucous call
From this reading “Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.”
a shifty deceptive person
From this reading “Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.”
the motion made by flapping up and down
From this reading “"I must be flapping along," he said.”
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
From this reading “Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.”
moving quickly and lightly
From this reading “Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.”
make high-pitched, whiney noises
From this reading “And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.”
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading “Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.”
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 But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "I must be flapping along," he said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And off he went.
any thing at all
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I must be flapping along," he said.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
dwell on with satisfaction
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
possessive form of “crow” — black birds having a raucous call
From this reading Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.
a shifty deceptive person
From this reading Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
the motion made by flapping up and down
From this reading "I must be flapping along," he said.
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I must be flapping along," he said.
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
From this reading Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
come together
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
a form of address for a man
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I must be flapping along," he said.
moving quickly and lightly
From this reading Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And off he went.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I must be flapping along," he said.
make high-pitched, whiney noises
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading But Mr. Crow replied hoarsely that he had to meet a friend down the valley.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And off he went.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading Jasper Jay grinned and winked at Nimble and Dodger behind Mr. Crow's back.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And then with a loud squall--which might have meant almost anything--he too flew away.
Chapter 3 of The tale of Nimble Deer by Arthur Scott Bailey holds 466 sentences, grouped into 94 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 466 sentences of The tale of Nimble Deer, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The tale of Nimble Deer by Arthur Scott Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 466 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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.
Common questions about reading The tale of Nimble Deer by Arthur Scott Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1380 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21619 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21619, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 115 minutes of reading across 276 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The tale of Nimble Deer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The tale of Nimble Deer 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 Nimble Deer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
