Chapter 2 of Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading is here in full — 478 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading is here in full — 478 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
* * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens." "Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens! Then you shall have no pie." "Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow! And we can have no pie.
Chapter 2 of Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading is here in full — 478 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “* * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “* * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."”
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “* * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."”
plural of “kitten” — young domestic cat
From this reading “* * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."”
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading “* * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."”
plural of “mitten” — glove that encases the thumb separately and the other four fingers together
From this reading “* * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."”
suggestive of sexual impropriety
From this reading “"Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!”
dish baked in pastry-lined pan often with a pastry top
From this reading “Then you shall have no pie."”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading And we can have no pie.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
dearly loved
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
plural of “kitten” — young domestic cat
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow!
plural of “mitten” — glove that encases the thumb separately and the other four fingers together
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
suggestive of sexual impropriety
From this reading "Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
not any; not one
From this reading Then you shall have no pie."
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
dish baked in pastry-lined pan often with a pastry top
From this reading Then you shall have no pie."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Then you shall have no pie."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then you shall have no pie."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
precisely as stated
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading * * * * * Three little kittens lost their mittens, And they began to cry: "O mother dear, we very much fear That we have lost our mittens."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Chapter 2 of Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading by Horace Elisha [Editor] Scudder holds 478 sentences, grouped into 96 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 2 holds 478 sentences of Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading by Horace Elisha [Editor] Scudder exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 478 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 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.
Common questions about reading Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading by Horace Elisha [Editor] Scudder on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 888 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10294 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10294, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 74 minutes of reading across 178 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading 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 Verse and Prose for Beginners in Reading, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
