Baba Yaga - A Scary Story for Halloween

http://storynory.com/2008/10/13/baba-yaga-a-scary-story-for-halloween/

there is a good chance that you might come across a peculiar house.
peculiar:strange, unfamiliar, or a little surprising

It’s a wooden hut, but it’s like no other that you have ever seen, for it stands on giant chicken legs -
and quite often it walks about, just like a monstrous farm-yard bird.
monstrous:unusually large

They know her, and they fear her, for it has long been rumored that she likes to eat children.
rumor:if something is rumoured to be true, people are saying secretly or unofficially that it may be true [↪ alleged]

It was a little rag doll that did not look so different from any other.
rag: small piece of old cloth, for example one used for cleaning things

the stepmother and step-sisters had to pretend that they liked her,
stepmother: a woman who is married to your father but who is not your mother

her father said that he had to go away on a journey that would last at least a month.
journey:a time spent travelling from one place to another, especially over a long distance [= trip American English]

and the girl would find the journey tiresome and dull.
tiresome:making you feel annoyed or impatient
impatient:annoyed because of delays, someone else's mistakes etc [≠ patient]

The first night after the father had left, the step-mother gathered the three girls together in the parlor and spoke like this:
parlor:a room in a house which has comfortable chairs and is used for meeting guests

Katya ” - that was the youngest - ” go to the kitchen table and roll some pastry so that it’s nice and flat.
pastry:a mixture of flour, butter, and milk or water, used to make the outer part of baked foods such as pies


She walked forlornly to the corner of the street and took the little doll out of her coat pocket where it had been sleeping.
forlornly:seeming lonely and unhappy

And every one knows that she is a dreadfully wicked witch.
dreadfully:extremely or very much
wicked:behaving in a way that is morally wrong

After a while, the young girl heard the sound of galloping hooves coming up behind her,
galloping:increasing or developing very quickly
hoof:the hard foot of an animal such as a horse, cow etc

and she stepped off the road to let a hose ridden by a rider in a blazing red cloak shoot past her.
blazing:extremely hot
cloak:a warm piece of clothing like a coat without sleeves that hangs loosely from your shoulder

and this time a rider in a cloak of dazzling white sped past her and down the road that led to Baba Yaga’s hut.
dazzling:a light that is dazzling is very bright and makes you unable to see properly for a short time

The skulls were mounted on stop of a high fence.
mount: to go up a step or stairs

Then the chicken legs began to kneel and the hut lowered to the ground. The door creaked open.
lower:to move something down from higher up [≠ raise]
creak:if something such as a door, wooden floor, old bed, or stair creaks, it makes a long high noise when someone opens it, walks on it, sits on it etc

Baba Yaga’s nose was so long and bony that it appeared through the door before the rest of her.
bony:someone or part of their body that is bony is very thin
thin:having little fat on your body [≠ fat]

Vasilissa was so frightened that her legs would not obey her when she told them to run.
frightened:feeling afraid [= scared]

“Well child,” she said,”Did the cat get your tongue? Or are you just badly brought-up?
well-brought-up:a child who is well-brought-up has been taught to be polite and to behave well
parent.

I haven’t got all night hover around while you tremble and gibber like an idiot !”
tremble:to shake slightly in a way that you cannot control, especially because you are upset or frightened
gibber:to speak quickly in a way that is difficult to understand, especially because you are very frightened or shocked [↪ jabber]


This story is a wicked Stepmother sends Vasilissa to visit the witch in her hut in the woods to ask for some lights. A wicked witch has been rumored that she like to eat children. It is dreadfully wicked.

The witch is dreadfully wicked, and stepmother is awful person.
I don't want to marry the woman.
I can read the story a lot. The word is 1085.

The Boy Who Flew Too High

http://storynory.com/2008/08/24/the-boy-who-flew-too-high/

Well you may remember that the Labyrinth was created by the cunning and ingenious mind of Daedalus.
cunning:the ability to achieve what you want by deceiving people in a clever way
deceive:to make someone believe something that is not true [= trick; ↪ deception]
ingenious:an ingenious plan, idea, or object works well and is the result of clever thinking and new ideas

Daedalus lived with his son Icarus in a tower of the palace,
palace:the official home of a person of very high rank, especially a king or queen - often used in names

they wouldn’t not be able to sail very far before they were spotted and caught by one of the ships of King Minos’s navy.
spot:to notice someone or something, especially when they are difficult to see or recognize

Here he arranged them in four lines, starting with the smallest fathers,

and following those with the longer ones, so that they formed gentle curves.
gentle:a gentle hill or slope is not steep or sharp
steep:a road, hill etc that is steep slopes at a high angle

While he was working, Icarus played with the wax, squashing it between his finger and thumb,
squash:to press something into a flatter shape, often breaking or damaging it [= flatten]

and when the feathers blew away in the breeze he ran after them and caught them.
blow:if the wind or a current of air blows, it moves

and began to flap them until his feet took off from the floor and he began to hover in mid air.
flap:if a bird flaps its wings, it moves them up and down in order to fly


The story from ancient Greece.
Icarus who is son of Daedalus tried to escape from dark Labyrinth on the island of Crete.
So Daedalus made wings that made of feathers and wax.

Daedalus is ingenious.
He makes wings that made of only feathers and wax.
Icarus is brave.
He flies by only homemade wings.
I can't do.
The ward is 447.

Old Sultan

http://storynory.com/2008/09/07/old-sultan/

The poor dog, who was lying stretched out in the sun not far off, had heard everything,
stretch out:to lie down, usually in order to sleep or rest

and was sorry that the morrow was to be his last day.
morrow:the next day [= tomorrow]

He had a good friend, the wolf, and he crept out in the evening into the forest to him,
crept:to move in a quiet, careful way, especially to avoid attracting attention

and complained of the fate that awaited him.

To-morrow, early in the morning, your master is going with his wife to make hay,
make hay:to take the opportunity to do something now, because you may not be able to do it later

As usual, during work-time, they will lay the child under the hedge in the shade;
hedge:a row of small bushes or trees growing close together, usually dividing one field or garden from another
shade:slight darkness or shelter from the direct light of the sun made by something blocking it

The plan pleased the dog, and it was carried out just as it was arranged.
arrange: to organize or make plans for something such as a meeting, party, or trip

“Go home at once and make Old Sultan some soggy bread that he will not have to bite,
soggy:unpleasantly wet and soft

and bring the pillow out of my bed, I will give it to him to lie upon.”
pillow:a cloth bag filled with soft material that you put your head on when you are sleeping


The word is 335.
The wolf is nice. but the dog is really poor.
I don't want to get old so much.

The Zoo That Bit Back

http://storynory.com/2008/06/02/the-zoo-that-bit-back/

Life in the zoo was not as exciting as on the outside, but it had its attractions.
attraction:something interesting or enjoyable to see or do

The daily menus catered for everyone’s tastes.
cater:to provide and serve food and drinks at a party, meeting etc, usually as a business

Some liked berries, others liked bananas.

Some hungered for steak, others for fresh termites.
steak:good quality beef, or a large thick piece of any good quality red meat
termite:an insect that eats and destroys wood from trees and buildings

The food just turned up every day, and nobody had to hunt or gather.

The animals didn’t even have to tidy up their own cages or make their beds with fresh straw.
straw:the dried stems of wheat or similar plants that animals sleep on, and that are used for making things such as baskets, hats etc [↪ hay]
stem:the long thin part of a plant, from which leaves, flowers, or fruit grow [= stalk]

The keepers did all that for them.

The keeper of the monkeys cage was called Mr. Hartley.

He was a sweet man, and if the truth be told, a bit of a softy.
sweet:kind, gentle, and friendly

Anything the monkeys screeched for, he provided - almost always.
screech:to shout loudly in an unpleasant high voice because you are angry, afraid, or excited [= shriek, scream]

The chief monkey, whose name was Bozo,

wanted a television so that he could watch Animal Planet.

At first Mr. Harley could not understand what he was squawking on about,
squawk:if a bird squawks, it makes a loud sharp angry sound

but he saw that Bozo was pointing to the video screen

that displayed important information for the visitors.

He tried turning it off, but that agitated Bozo even more.
agitated:so nervous or upset that you are unable to keep still or think calmly

Then he twigged what was in monkeys’ mind,
twig:to suddenly realize something about a situation

and he went out and bought the latest flat panel TV and put it in the window of his office

where Bozo and his followers could watch it.

But such a life of luxury could not go on for ever, and it didn’t.
luxury:something expensive that you do not need, but you buy for pleasure and enjoyment [≠ necessity]

After Theo’s famous escape and his chocolate-crazed escapade,
craze:a fashion, game, type of music etc that becomes very popular for a short time [= fad]
escapade:an adventure or series of events that are exciting or contain some risk

the zoo was noticed in high places.

The local newspaper ran a headline that read:

“Slack Security at the Zoo.”
slack:not taking enough care or making enough effort to do things correctly - used to show
disapproval

And a local politician ran for election under the slogan;

“Time to get tough on the animals.


The word of shout in English have many way.
but there is difference of nuance.
I enjoy that today.

The Sheriff Who Came to Dinner with Robin Hood

http://storynory.com/2008/07/06/the-sheriff-who-came-to-dinner/

Robin Hood’s most trusted outlaw was Little John.
outlaw:someone who has done something illegal, and who is hiding in order to avoid punishment - used especially about criminals in the past
punish:to make someone suffer because they have done something wrong or broken the law

In fact, there was nothing little about him at all. He was huge.

And if there was one thing that he really loved it was his food.

In particular, he liked to eat venison – which is the meat of deer.
deer:a large wild animal that can run very fast, eats grass, and has horns

There were plenty of deer in Sherwood Forrest,
plenty:a large quantity that is enough or more than enough

but it was forbidden to shoot them by punishment of death.
forbid:to tell someone that they are not allowed to do something, or that something is not allowed [≠ permit]

The law didn’t stop Little John, because he feared nothing or nobody.

Sometimes he would arrive at Robin Hood’s layer with a bag full of hares,
bag:the amount that a bag will hold
hares:an animal like a rabbit but larger, which can run very quickly

partridges, and pheasants and he would say to Robin:
partridge:a fat brown bird with a short tail which is shot for sport and food
pheasant:a large bird with a long tail, often shot for food, or the meat of this bird

“Come on my friend, let’s get a good fire going.

I’ll soon have these ready for roasting and what a fine dinner we shall have.”

But quite often Robin would make Little John wait for his dinner until a rich

and respectable guest had come to join them.

And at those times, when Little John was hungry,

he would become very tetchy and bad tempered indeed.

tetchy:likely to get angry or upset easily
bad tempered:someone who is bad-tempered becomes easily annoyed and talks in an angry way to people [= irritable]

All the other robbers who lived with Robin Hood would stay out of his way,

because nobody wanted to get into a fight with a man as big and strong as Little John.

One day, Robin asked Little John to go into the city of Nottingham to see

if he could pick up any news or gossip.

It so happened, that on that same day there was shooting competition in the market place.
competition:a situation in which people or organizations try to be more successful than other people or organizations [↪ compete, competitor]

Little John could not resist a chance to show of his skill with his bow and arrow,
resist: to try to prevent a change from happening, or prevent yourself from being forced to do something

and he paid the fee of one penny to join the contest.

Each archer had to shoot an arrow into a post.

Those who missed dropped out,

and those that hit went on to the next round when the posts were moved further back.
further:a greater distance, or beyond a particular place

Little John split six posts down the middle with his arrows. Nobody else could match him.

thank you answer my question.
I think Little John resembles Jyaian of Doraemon.
I don't like Jyaian.

about my experience this semester

私は今学期この授業を受けて２種類の方法でブログを進めました。１つはStorynoryをそのまま英辞郎やRikaiを使って日本語訳にする方法、もう１つはStorynoryや洋楽の歌詞をわからない単語や言い回しをLongman Web Dictionaryを使って英英で定義して意味を理解しながら読んでいく方法をとりました。それぞれためになる勉強方法であると思いますが、英語の中では日本語に訳せない英語もあると思いますし、英語を自分の力にするのなら日本語を介して理解するよりもやさしい英語で定義して理解するほうが近道だと思い途中でLongman Web Dictionaryを中心に授業を進めました。

Storynoryや洋楽の歌詞を題材に勉強したことで中学、高校で習う英語とはまた違う英語、たとえば、good-for-nothingやfoot：a set of stairs between one floor and the nextという意味もあっていろんな使い方があったということやYour majestyなど絵本とかでないと覚える機会はなかったと思います。そういう点で私は勉強になる時間だったと思いました。

逆に英語ならではの表現方法や意味しているところがわからなくなったり難しいこともありましたが先生に質問することで解決できました。私はブログを更新するためにおよそ２時間ほどかかりましたがもっと効率よくできるようになりたいです。秋学期ではもっとみんながしている難しい方法で学んでいけるように工夫して勉強をしたいです。

The Emperor’s New Clothes

http://storynory.com/2008/06/23/the-emperors-new-clothes/

Many years ago, there was an Emperor, who was so excessively fond of new clothes,

excessively:much more than is reasonable or necessary

that he spent all his money on the finest suits.

He did not trouble himself in the least about his soldiers;

nor did he care to go to the theatre or out hunting,

except when there was a chance to show off his new clothes.

He had a different suit for each hour of the day.

Just as you might say of any other king or emperor,

“He is sitting in his council” - people used to say of him, “He is sitting in his wardrobe.”
council:a group of people that are chosen to make rules, laws, or decisions, or to give advice
wardrobe:a piece of furniture like a large cupboard that you hang clothes in [↪ closet]

Time passed merrily in the large town which was his capital;
merrily:in a happy way, or in a way that makes you feel happy

strangers arrived every day at the court.

One day, two rogues, calling themselves weavers came to the court.
rogues:a man or boy who behaves badly, but who you like in spite of this - often used humorously

They said that they knew how to weave clothes of the most beautiful colors and elaborate patterns.
elaborate:having a lot of small parts or details put together in a complicated way

The clothes made from their cloths were like no others:

They were invisible to everyone who was either unfit for their job,

or extremely simple in the head.

“These must, indeed, be splendid clothes!” thought the Emperor.
splendid:very good [= excellent]

“Had I such a suit, I might at once find out what men in my empire are unfit for their jobs,

and also be able to tell the wise from the foolish!

This stuff must be woven for me immediately.”
weave:he way in which a material is woven, and the pattern formed by this
immediately:as soon as

And he ordered large sums of money to be given to both the weavers so that they might begin their work.
sums:an amount of money

So the two false weavers set up two looms, and pretended to work very busily,

though in reality they did nothing at all.

They asked for the most delicate silk and the purest gold thread;
purest:a pure substance or material is not mixed with anything
threat:a statement in which you tell someone that you will cause them harm or trouble if they do not do what you want

put both into their own knapsacks;

and then continued their pretend work at the empty looms until late at night.

“I should like to know how the weavers are getting on with my cloth,”

said the Emperor to himself, after some little time had gone by;

he was, however, rather embarrassed, when he remembered that a simpleton,
embarrass:feeling nervous and uncomfortable and worrying about what people think of you, for example because you have to talk or sing in public, or because you have made a silly mistake
simpleton:someone who has a very low level of intelligence

or someone unfit for his office, would be unable to see the results of their work.

To be sure, he himself not have any trouble seeing the clothes, but yet,

thought it would be better to send somebody else to report on the weavers and their work.

He has been enviable life.
But if I am emperor, I want to be plain life.

I konw that "tell" has various mean.thank you.