Chapter 1 of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask. The old man smiled. "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half. You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake? Well, 'twuz 'long in dem days.
Chapter 1 of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
cook and make edible by putting in a hot oven
From this reading “You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake?”
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading “You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake?”
discontinued temporarily
From this reading “"Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake?”
by chance
From this reading “"I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.”
(Roman mythology) the twin brother of Romulus
From this reading “"Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “The old man smiled.”
a very small spot
From this reading “"I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.”
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 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.
corn bread wrapped in cabbage leaves and baked in hot ashes
From this reading You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake?
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
cook and make edible by putting in a hot oven
From this reading You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake?
a youthful male person
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
a young person of either sex
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Well, 'twuz 'long in dem days.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, 'twuz 'long in dem days.
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs with yttrium
From this reading "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake?
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Well, 'twuz 'long in dem days.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Well, 'twuz 'long in dem days.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man smiled.
by chance
From this reading "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man smiled.
on one occasion
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
(Roman mythology) the twin brother of Romulus
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The old man smiled.
a very small spot
From this reading "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
(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 Well, 'twuz 'long in dem days.
at the time that
From this reading "Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You know when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake?
Chapter 1 of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris holds 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 286 sentences of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 286 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22282 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22282, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 23 minutes of reading across 58 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit 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 Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
