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Alice in Wonderland, Retold in Words of One Syllable
Alice in Wonderland, Retold in Words of One Syllable

Chapter III

Cover illustration for Alice in Wonderland, Retold in Words of One Syllable
Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A RACE.
They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.
The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.
They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.
But it was hard to tell what was best.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Alice in Wonderland, Retold in Words of One Syllable

Chapter III

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A RACE.
Line 2
They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.
Line 3
The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.
Line 4
They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.
Line 5
But it was hard to tell what was best.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Clung noun US /clung/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.”

Course noun US /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.”

Tell noun US /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But it was hard to tell what was best.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.”

All words in this reading · 58

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A RACE.

a-bout

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

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

Al-ice

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

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

all

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

bank

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

beasts

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

best

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

From this reading But it was hard to tell what was best.

birds

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But it was hard to tell what was best.

close

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

clungnounUS /clung/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

coursenounUS /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.

cross

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

crowd

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

drooped

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

dry

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

From this reading The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.

earth

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.

fur

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

get

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

From this reading The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

hard

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

From this reading But it was hard to tell what was best.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

how

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

From this reading The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But it was hard to tell what was best.

joined

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

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

known

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

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

look-ing

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

queer

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

RACE

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

From this reading A RACE.

sat

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

tails

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

talk

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

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

tellnounUS /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But it was hard to tell what was best.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The first thought, of course, was how to get dry.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

wet

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading But it was hard to tell what was best.

wings

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

From this reading They were a queer look-ing crowd as they stood or sat on the bank--the wings and tails of the birds drooped to the earth; the fur of the beasts clung close to them, and all were as wet and cross as could be.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading They had a long talk a-bout this, and Al-ice joined with, them as if she had known them all her life.