Chapter 21 of Whitefoot the Wood Mouse is here in full — 41 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Whitefoot the Wood Mouse is here in full — 41 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot. Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot? Whitefoot was beginning to feel quite at home. He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse. This meant that each day he must hunt for his food.
Chapter 21 of Whitefoot the Wood Mouse is here in full — 41 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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.
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading “Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?”
footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading “A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot.”
satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
From this reading “He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.”
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading “A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot.”
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading “Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?”
a loud raucous cry (as of an owl)
From this reading “Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?”
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading “Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?”
a depository for goods
From this reading “He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.”
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 A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Whitefoot was beginning to feel quite at home.
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading Whitefoot was beginning to feel quite at home.
footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading This meant that each day he must hunt for his food.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading This meant that each day he must hunt for his food.
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Whitefoot was beginning to feel quite at home.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading This meant that each day he must hunt for his food.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading This meant that each day he must hunt for his food.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Whitefoot was beginning to feel quite at home.
a loud raucous cry (as of an owl)
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading This meant that each day he must hunt for his food.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading This meant that each day he must hunt for his food.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading This meant that each day he must hunt for his food.
not any; not one
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Whitefoot was beginning to feel quite at home.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
a depository for goods
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading This meant that each day he must hunt for his food.
a special situation
From this reading A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This meant that each day he must hunt for his food.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading A useless thing is envy; A foolish thing to boot.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Whitefoot was beginning to feel quite at home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whitefoot was beginning to feel quite at home.
which person or people
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why should a Fox who has a bark Want like an Owl to hoot?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would have been wholly contented but for one thing,--he had no well-filled storehouse.
Chapter 21 of Whitefoot the Wood Mouse by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 41 sentences, grouped into 9 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 21 holds 41 sentences of Whitefoot the Wood Mouse, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Whitefoot the Wood Mouse by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 41 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 21 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 Whitefoot the Wood Mouse by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1434 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4698 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4698, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 119 minutes of reading across 287 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Whitefoot the Wood Mouse section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Whitefoot the Wood Mouse 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 Whitefoot the Wood Mouse, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
