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The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom
The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom is here in full — 354 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom
Context Illustration Reading 1/70 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.
If you wish battle, we shall see.
We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'
"The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.
Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom is here in full — 354 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/70 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.
/ˈboʊstfəl wʌn sed ðə məˈskiːtoʊz wiː duː nɑːt bɪˈliːv ðæt juː hæv ðə ˈpaʊər tuː dɪˈstrɔɪ ɔːl ˈaʊər ˈpiːpəl/
Line 2
If you wish battle, we shall see.
/ɪf juː wɪʃ ˈbætəl wiː ʃæl siː/
Line 3
We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'
/wiː noʊ jɔːr neɪm ɪz ɡreɪt ənd ðæt ɔːl ˈænəməlz baʊ ðer hedz bɪˈfɔːr juː bʌt ˈaʊər ˈpiːpəl kæn kɪl juː/
Line 4
"The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.
Line 5
Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'
/hæv aɪ kʌm tuː ðə vaɪl wel ʌv ðə ˈsɪli məˈskiːtoʊz fɔːr ˈwɪzdəm/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Boastful adjective US /ˈboʊstfəl/

exhibiting self-importance

From this reading “"'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.”

destroy verb US /dɪˈstrɔɪ/

do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of

From this reading “"'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.”

jumped verb US /dʒʌmpt/

past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading “"The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.”

Lion noun US /ˈlaɪən/

large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male

From this reading “"The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.”

Mosquitoes noun US /məˈskiːtoʊz/

plural of “mosquito” — two-winged insect whose female has a long proboscis to pierce the skin and suck the blood of humans and animals

From this reading “"'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.”

silly adjective US /ˈsɪli/

ludicrous, foolish

From this reading “Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'”

vile adjective US /vaɪl/

morally reprehensible

From this reading “Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'”

wilderness noun US /ˈwɪldərnəs/

(politics) a state of disfavor

From this reading “"The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

animalsnounUS /ˈænəməlz/

plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

battlenounUS /ˈbætəl/

a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading If you wish battle, we shall see.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

BoastfuladjectiveUS /ˈboʊstfəl/

exhibiting self-importance

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

bownounUS /baʊ/

a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'

creaturenounUS /ˈkriːtʃər/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

daredverbUS /derd/

past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

destroyverbUS /dɪˈstrɔɪ/

do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

headsnounUS /hedz/

plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If you wish battle, we shall see.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

jumpedverbUS /dʒʌmpt/

past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

killverbUS /kɪl/

cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

kingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

LionnounUS /ˈlaɪən/

large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

MosquitoesnounUS /məˈskiːtoʊz/

plural of “mosquito” — two-winged insect whose female has a long proboscis to pierce the skin and suck the blood of humans and animals

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

powernounUS /ˈpaʊər/

possession of controlling influence

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

ragenounUS /reɪdʒ/

a feeling of intense anger

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading If you wish battle, we shall see.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading If you wish battle, we shall see.

sillyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪli/

ludicrous, foolish

From this reading Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

vileadjectiveUS /vaɪl/

morally reprehensible

From this reading Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'

wildernessnounUS /ˈwɪldərnəs/

(politics) a state of disfavor

From this reading "The Lion jumped high in his rage and said, 'No other creature in the wilderness has dared to say these things to me--the king.

wisdomnounUS /ˈwɪzdəm/

accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment

From this reading Have I come to the vile well of the silly Mosquitoes for wisdom?'

wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading If you wish battle, we shall see.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "'Boastful one,' said the Mosquitoes, 'we do not believe that you have the power to destroy all our people.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading We know your name is great and that all animals bow their heads before you; but our people can kill you.'

Chapter 8 of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom by Kate Douglas Smith [Editor] Wiggin holds 354 sentences, grouped into 71 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.

What does chapter 8 of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom contain?

Chapter 8 holds 354 sentences of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom by Kate Douglas Smith [Editor] Wiggin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 354 sentences, grouped into 71 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom?

Work through the 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 71 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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.

Questions about reading The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom

Common questions about reading The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom by Kate Douglas Smith [Editor] Wiggin on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom?

Yes. All 3679 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13815 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #13815, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom take to read?

About 306 minutes of reading across 736 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom section by section

How to work through The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Accept
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Young
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Prince
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Moral
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.