Chapter 1 of What the Animals Do and Say is here in full — 576 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of What the Animals Do and Say is here in full — 576 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHAT THE ANIMALS DO AND SAY. "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening. After a moment or two of thought, Mis. Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers. They take journeys every year of their lives.
Chapter 1 of What the Animals Do and Say is here in full — 576 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/115 · 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.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “WHAT THE ANIMALS DO AND SAY.”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “"Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.”
plural of “journey” — the act of traveling from one place to another
From this reading “They take journeys every year of their lives.”
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “They take journeys every year of their lives.”
plural of “mi” — destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle
From this reading “After a moment or two of thought, Mis.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “"Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.”
plural of “traveller” — a person who changes location
From this reading “Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers.”
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “They take journeys every year of their lives.”
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 "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers.
later than; following
From this reading After a moment or two of thought, Mis.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WHAT THE ANIMALS DO AND SAY.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading WHAT THE ANIMALS DO AND SAY.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading WHAT THE ANIMALS DO AND SAY.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading They take journeys every year of their lives.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers.
plural of “journey” — the act of traveling from one place to another
From this reading They take journeys every year of their lives.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading They take journeys every year of their lives.
plural of “mi” — destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle
From this reading After a moment or two of thought, Mis.
a particular point in time
From this reading After a moment or two of thought, Mis.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading After a moment or two of thought, Mis.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
express in words
From this reading WHAT THE ANIMALS DO AND SAY.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
carry out
From this reading They take journeys every year of their lives.
express in words
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHAT THE ANIMALS DO AND SAY.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They take journeys every year of their lives.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They take journeys every year of their lives.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading After a moment or two of thought, Mis.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
plural of “traveller” — a person who changes location
From this reading Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading After a moment or two of thought, Mis.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT THE ANIMALS DO AND SAY.
which person or people
From this reading Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading They take journeys every year of their lives.
an affirmative
From this reading Chilton said, "Yes, I will tell you about a people who are great travellers.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Could you not tell us a traveller's story of some strange people that we have never heard of before?" said Harry to his mother, the next evening.
Chapter 1 of What the Animals Do and Say by Eliza Lee Cabot Follen holds 576 sentences, grouped into 116 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 576 sentences of What the Animals Do and Say, unabridged, divided into 116 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of What the Animals Do and Say by Eliza Lee Cabot Follen exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 576 sentences, grouped into 116 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 116 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 116 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 What the Animals Do and Say by Eliza Lee Cabot Follen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 576 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4044 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4044, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 48 minutes of reading across 116 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through What the Animals Do and Say section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of What the Animals Do and Say 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 What the Animals Do and Say, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
