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The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts
The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts

Chapter I · Act 01: The Chronicle of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts — The Origin & The Heroic Quest

Chapter 1 of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts is here in full — 2590 sentences across 518 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts
Context Illustration Reading 243/518 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, you needn’t worry yourself.
I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.
Keep your spirits up.’
And with these words he trotted quickly away.
Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.
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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.

The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts

Chapter I · Act 01: The Chronicle of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts — The Origin & The Heroic Quest

Chapter 1 of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts is here in full — 2590 sentences across 518 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 243/518 · 5 reading units · Lines 1211–1215

Line 1
If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.
Line 2
I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.
Line 3
Keep your spirits up.’
/kiːp jɔːr ˈspɪrɪts ʌp/
Line 4
And with these words he trotted quickly away.
/ənd wɪð ðiːz wɜːrdz hiː ˈtrɑːtɪd ˈkwɪkli əˈweɪ/
Line 5
Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.
/ðen ðə juːθ rɪˈdʒɔɪst ˈɡreɪtli fɔːr naʊ hiː felt ðæt hɪz laɪf wɑːz seɪf bʌt hiː ɡruː ˈveri sæd wen hiː θɔːt ʌv ðə ˈbjuːtəfəl ˈprɪn.ses ənd ðæt hiː wʊd ˈnevər siː hɜːr əˈɡen ɪf hiː left ðə ˈkʌntri/

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.

greatly adverb US /ˈɡreɪtli/

to an extraordinary extent or degree

From this reading “Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.”

rejoiced verb US /rɪˈdʒɔɪst/

past form of “rejoice” — feel happiness or joy

From this reading “Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.”

sunset noun US /ˈsʌnset/

the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon

From this reading “I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.”

task noun US /tæsk/

any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

From this reading “I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.”

trotted verb US /ˈtrɑːtɪd/

inflected form of “trot” — run at a moderately swift pace

From this reading “And with these words he trotted quickly away.”

undertake verb US /ˈʌndərteɪk/

enter upon an activity or enterprise

From this reading “I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.”

wolf noun US /wʊlf/

any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs

From this reading “‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.”

worry verb US /ˈwɜːri/

be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy

From this reading “‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

answeredverbUS /ˈænsərd/

past form of “answer” — react verbally

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading And with these words he trotted quickly away.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

greatlyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪtli/

to an extraordinary extent or degree

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

grewverbUS /ɡruː/

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading And with these words he trotted quickly away.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

I'll

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

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

KeepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Keep your spirits up.’

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

needn't

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

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

PrincessnounUS /ˈprɪn.ses/

The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

quicklyadverbUS /ˈkwɪkli/

with speed

From this reading And with these words he trotted quickly away.

rejoicedverbUS /rɪˈdʒɔɪst/

past form of “rejoice” — feel happiness or joy

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

sadadjectiveUS /sæd/

experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

safeadjectiveUS /seɪf/

free from danger or the risk of harm

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

spiritsnounUS /ˈspɪrɪts/

an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented

From this reading Keep your spirits up.’

sunsetnounUS /ˈsʌnset/

the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

tasknounUS /tæsk/

any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

that's

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

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading And with these words he trotted quickly away.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

to-morrow

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

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

trottedverbUS /ˈtrɑːtɪd/

inflected form of “trot” — run at a moderately swift pace

From this reading And with these words he trotted quickly away.

undertakeverbUS /ˈʌndərteɪk/

enter upon an activity or enterprise

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading Keep your spirits up.’

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And with these words he trotted quickly away.

wolfnounUS /wʊlf/

any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading And with these words he trotted quickly away.

worryverbUS /ˈwɜːri/

be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

you'll

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

From this reading I’ll undertake the task, and you’ll hear from me again before sunset to-morrow.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Keep your spirits up.’

yourselfpronounUS /jərˈself/

used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action

From this reading ‘If that’s all you want done,’ answered the wolf, ‘you needn’t worry yourself.

youthnounUS /juːθ/

a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the beautiful Princess, and that he would never see her again if he left the country.

Chapter Quiz

Use these questions to verify literal comprehension before continuing to the next chapter.

What is the primary narrative focus and dramatic development in 'Act 01: The Chronicle of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts — The Origin & The Heroic Quest'?

How does the author create suspense and academic depth in this passage?

What primary language acquisition benefit does this section provide for advanced English scholars?

Chapter 1 of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts by World Traditions (Celtic, Norse, Asian & Persian) holds 2590 sentences, grouped into 518 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 1 of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts contain?

Chapter 1 holds 2590 sentences of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts, unabridged, divided into 518 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts by World Traditions (Celtic, Norse, Asian & Persian) exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 2590 sentences, grouped into 518 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 1 of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts?

Work through the 518 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 518 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 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts

Common questions about reading The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts by World Traditions (Celtic, Norse, Asian & Persian) on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts?

Yes. All 4954 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #640 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #640, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts take to read?

About 412 minutes of reading across 991 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts section by section

How to work through The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts 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 The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Books
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Yellow
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Green
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Puzzling
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.