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The well in the wood
The well in the wood

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The well in the wood is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Bert Leston Taylor • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The well in the wood
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.
“Don’t you?”--appealing to Buddie.
“Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.
“For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.
Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.
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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 well in the wood

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The well in the wood is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.
Line 2
“Don’t you?”--appealing to Buddie.
Line 3
“Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.
Line 4
“For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.
Line 5
Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.
/hæv juː sʌŋ ˈtwentiθriː ˈvɜːrsəz ʃiː æskt ðə ˈjeloʊ dɔːɡ/

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.

appealing adjective US /əˈpiːlɪŋ/

able to attract interest or draw favorable attention

From this reading ““Don’t you?”--appealing to Buddie.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Beaver noun US /ˈbiːvər/

the soft brown fur of the beaver

From this reading “THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
blackbird noun US /ˈblækbərd/

any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black

From this reading “THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Laziest adjective US /ˈleɪziəst/

superlative of “lazy” — moving slowly and gently

From this reading “THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pinched adjective US /pɪntʃt/

sounding as if the nose were pinched

From this reading ““Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sung noun US /sʌŋ/

the imperial dynasty of China from 960 to 1279; noted for art and literature and philosophy

From this reading “Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twenty-three noun US /ˈtwentiθriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty-two and one

From this reading “Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
verses noun US /ˈvɜːrsəz/

plural of “verse” — literature in metrical form

From this reading “Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

Yellow Dog adjective + noun

In this reading “Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.”

723 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 52

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.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
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 “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
answeredverbUS /ˈænsərd/

past form of “answer” — react verbally

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
appealingadjectiveUS /əˈpiːlɪŋ/

able to attract interest or draw favorable attention

From this reading “Don’t you?”--appealing to Buddie.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
asleepadjectiveUS /əˈsliːp/

in a state of sleep

From this reading “For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/

not in a state of sleep; completely conscious

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BeavernounUS /ˈbiːvər/

the soft brown fur of the beaver

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bewilderedadjectiveUS /bɪˈwɪldərd/

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BLACKBIRDnounUS /ˈblækbərd/

any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Buddie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Don’t you?”--appealing to Buddie.

Pending verification
certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
DognounUS /dɔːɡ/

a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds

From this reading Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Don’t you?”--appealing to Buddie.

Pending verification
dreamedadjectiveUS /driːmd/

conceived of or imagined or hoped for

From this reading “For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fallenadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːlən/

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading “For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading “For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Guinea-Pig

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.

Pending verification
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
knowverbUS /noʊ/

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

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LaziestadjectiveUS /ˈleɪziəst/

superlative of “lazy” — moving slowly and gently

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lotnounUS /lɑːt/

(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
pinchedadjectiveUS /pɪntʃt/

sounding as if the nose were pinched

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RabbitnounUS /ˈræbət/

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 “For,” she said to herself, “I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about the Rabbit and the Guinea-Pig.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
sungnounUS /sʌŋ/

the imperial dynasty of China from 960 to 1279; noted for art and literature and philosophy

From this reading Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading “Don’t you?”--appealing to Buddie.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twenty-thirdadjective

coming next after the twenty-second in position

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twenty-threenounUS /ˈtwentiθriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty-two and one

From this reading Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
versenounUS /vɜːrs/

literature in metrical form

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
versesnounUS /ˈvɜːrsəz/

plural of “verse” — literature in metrical form

From this reading Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WHITEnounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading “Why--I like them all,” she answered, much bewildered; and she pinched herself to make certain she was wide awake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YellowadjectiveUS /ˈjeloʊ/

of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk

From this reading Have you sung twenty-three verses?” she asked the Yellow Dog.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading THE WHITE BLACKBIRD “Do you know, I think the twenty-third verse is the best of the lot,” said the Laziest Beaver.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 6 of The well in the wood by Bert Leston Taylor holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 6 of The well in the wood contain?

Chapter 6 holds 114 sentences of The well in the wood, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of The well in the wood by Bert Leston Taylor exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 6 of The well in the wood?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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 6 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 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 well in the wood

Common questions about reading The well in the wood by Bert Leston Taylor on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The well in the wood?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The well in the wood is used?

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

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About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The well in the wood

Words and structures a reader meets early in The well in the wood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The well in the wood, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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