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Tommy Smith's Animals
Tommy Smith's Animals

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Tommy Smith's Animals is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Tommy Smith's Animals
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.
It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.
Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.
“Don’t hit me,” said the frog.
“That would be a _very_ wicked thing to do.”
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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.

Tommy Smith's Animals

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Tommy Smith's Animals is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.
Line 2
It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.
/ɪt hæd bɪn ˈreɪnɪŋ ə ˈlɪtəl ənd ðə fɜːrst θɪŋ hiː sɔː wɑːz ə lɑːrdʒ ˈjeloʊ frɑːɡ ˈsɪtɪŋ ɑːn ðə wet ɡræs/
Line 3
Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.
Line 4
“Don’t hit me,” said the frog.
Line 5
“That would be a _very_ wicked thing to do.”
/ðæt wʊd biː ə ˈveri ˈwɪkəd θɪŋ tuː duː/

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.

finds noun US /faɪndz/

plural of “find” — a productive insight

From this reading “THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.”

frog noun US /frɑːɡ/

any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species

From this reading “THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.”

raining adjective US /ˈreɪnɪŋ/

falling in drops or as if falling like rain

From this reading “It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.”

Smith noun US /smɪθ/

Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)

From this reading “THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.”

stick verb US /stɪk/

put, fix, force, or implant

From this reading “Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.”

toad noun US /toʊd/

any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species

From this reading “THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.”

wet adjective US /wet/

covered or soaked with a liquid such as water

From this reading “It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.”

wicked adjective US /ˈwɪkəd/

morally bad in principle or practice

From this reading ““That would be a _very_ wicked thing to do.””

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.

next day adjective + noun

In this reading “THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.”

at once preposition + adverb

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

In this reading “Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.”

into the garden preposition + article + noun counted as “into … garden”

In this reading “THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.”

first thing adjective + noun

In this reading “It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.”

wicked thing adjective + noun

In this reading ““That would be a _very_ wicked thing to do.””

went out verb + adjective counted as “go out”

move out of or depart from

In this reading “THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.”

in the garden preposition + article + noun counted as “in … garden”

In this reading “THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

ASconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “That would be a _very_ wicked thing to do.”

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

breakfastverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading “That would be a _very_ wicked thing to do.”

Don't

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

From this reading “Don’t hit me,” said the frog.

findsnounUS /faɪndz/

plural of “find” — a productive insight

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

FROGnounUS /frɑːɡ/

any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/

a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

grassverbUS /ɡræs/

shoot down, of birds

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

hitverbUS /hɪt/

cause to move by striking

From this reading “Don’t hit me,” said the frog.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

liftedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪftəd/

held up in the air

From this reading Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading “Don’t hit me,” said the frog.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.

rainingadjectiveUS /ˈreɪnɪŋ/

falling in drops or as if falling like rain

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

readyadjectiveUS /ˈredi/

completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “Don’t hit me,” said the frog.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

shoulderverbUS /ˈʃoʊldər/

lift onto one's shoulders

From this reading Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.

sittingnounUS /ˈsɪtɪŋ/

(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

SmithnounUS /smɪθ/

Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

stickverbUS /stɪk/

put, fix, force, or implant

From this reading Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.

takesnounUS /teɪks/

plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “That would be a _very_ wicked thing to do.”

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

TOADnounUS /toʊd/

any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

Tommy

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

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

turnverbUS /tɜːrn/

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Tommy Smith had a stick in his hand, and he at once lifted it up over his shoulder.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading “That would be a _very_ wicked thing to do.”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

wetadjectiveUS /wet/

covered or soaked with a liquid such as water

From this reading It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

wickedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪkəd/

morally bad in principle or practice

From this reading “That would be a _very_ wicked thing to do.”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE FROG AND THE TOAD “_Tommy Smith takes a turn in the garden next day, And he finds the frog ready with something to say._” AS soon as he had had his breakfast, Tommy Smith went out into the garden.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “That would be a _very_ wicked thing to do.”

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 It had been raining a little, and the first thing he saw was a large yellow frog sitting on the wet grass.

Chapter 2 of Tommy Smith's Animals by Edmund Selous holds 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 2 of Tommy Smith's Animals contain?

Chapter 2 holds 142 sentences of Tommy Smith's Animals, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Tommy Smith's Animals by Edmund Selous exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 2 of Tommy Smith's Animals?

Work through the 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 29 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 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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 Tommy Smith's Animals

Common questions about reading Tommy Smith's Animals by Edmund Selous on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Tommy Smith's Animals?

Yes. All 2418 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51933 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Tommy Smith's Animals is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #51933, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Tommy Smith's Animals take to read?

About 201 minutes of reading across 484 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Tommy Smith's Animals section by section

How to work through Tommy Smith's Animals section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of Tommy Smith's Animals 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 Tommy Smith's Animals

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tommy Smith's Animals, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Obvious
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tommy Smith's Animals; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Print
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tommy Smith's Animals; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Punctuation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tommy Smith's Animals; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Errors
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tommy Smith's Animals; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.