Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Nonsense Books
Nonsense Books

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for Nonsense Books
Context Illustration Reading 1/2 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG OWLS.
When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.
And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.
So they called out, "Is that a mouse?"
On which a mouse answered, "Squeaky-peeky-weeky! yes, it is!"
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Nonsense Books

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/2 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG OWLS.
Line 2
When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.
Line 3
And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.
Line 4
So they called out, "Is that a mouse?"
Line 5
On which a mouse answered, "Squeaky-peeky-weeky! yes, it is!"

Learner Dictionary

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

Answered noun US /ˈanswered/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “On which a mouse answered, "Squeaky-peeky-weeky! yes, it is!"”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.”

All words in this reading · 51

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 And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

answerednounUS /ˈanswered/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading On which a mouse answered, "Squeaky-peeky-weeky! yes, it is!"

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

branches

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

called

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

From this reading So they called out, "Is that a mouse?"

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

dark

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

far

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

gas-lamps

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

heard

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

HISTORY

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

From this reading THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG OWLS.

Isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading So they called out, "Is that a mouse?"

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

lighted

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

mouse

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

night

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

now

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG OWLS.

old

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

out

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

OWLS

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

From this reading THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG OWLS.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

sate

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

see

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

set

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

SEVEN

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

From this reading THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG OWLS.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So they called out, "Is that a mouse?"

Squeaky-peeky-weeky

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

From this reading On which a mouse answered, "Squeaky-peeky-weeky! yes, it is!"

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading So they called out, "Is that a mouse?"

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG OWLS.

then

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

trees

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

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading And one night, when it was quite dark, they thought they heard a mouse; but, as the gas-lamps were not lighted, they could not see him.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When the seven young Owls set out, they sate every now and then on the branches of old trees, and never went far at one time.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading On which a mouse answered, "Squeaky-peeky-weeky! yes, it is!"

yes

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

From this reading On which a mouse answered, "Squeaky-peeky-weeky! yes, it is!"

YOUNG

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

From this reading THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG OWLS.