--- title: The Story of the Three Bears — English Fairy Tales · full text with trees description: The Story of the Three Bears, «English Fairy Tales» by Joseph Jacobs: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [English Fairy Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/) / The Story of the Three Bears # The Story of the Three Bears The Story of the Three Bears of «English Fairy Tales» by Joseph Jacobs: the whole text, 63 sentences and 1359 words. Every sentence has its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/1/) — Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/2/) — One of them was a Little, Small Wee Bear; and one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great, Huge Bear. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/3/) — They had each a pot for their porridge, a little pot for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized pot for the Middle Bear, and a great pot for the Great, Huge Bear. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/4/) — And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the Middle Bear; and a great chair for the Great, Huge Bear. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/5/) — And they had each a bed to sleep in; a little bed for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bed for the Middle Bear; and a great bed for the Great, Huge Bear. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/6/) — One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast, and poured it into their porridge-pots, they walked out into the wood while the porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their mouths, by beginning too soon to eat it. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/7/) — And while they were walking, a little old Woman came to the house. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/8/) — She could not have been a good, honest old Woman; for first she looked in at the window, and then she peeped in at the keyhole; and seeing nobody in the house, she lifted the latch. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/9/) — The door was not fastened, because the Bears were good Bears, who did nobody any harm, and never suspected that anybody would harm them. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/10/) — So the little old Woman opened the door, and went in; and well pleased she was when she saw the porridge on the table. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/11/) — If she had been a good little old Woman, she would have waited till the Bears came home, and then, perhaps, they would have asked her to breakfast; for they were good Bears--a little rough or so, as the manner of Bears is, but for all that very good-natured and hospitable. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/12/) — But she was an impudent, bad old Woman, and set about helping herself. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/13/) — So first she tasted the porridge of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hot for her; and she said a bad word about that. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/14/) — And then she tasted the porridge of the Middle Bear, and that was too cold for her; and she said a bad word about that too. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/15/) — And then she went to the porridge of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and tasted that; and that was neither too hot, nor too cold, but just right; and she liked it so well, that she ate it all up: but the naughty old Woman said a bad word about the little porridge-pot, because it did not hold enough for her. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/16/) — Then the little old Woman sate down in the chair of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hard for her. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/17/) — And then she sate down in the chair of the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/18/) — And then she sate down in the chair of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and that was neither too hard, nor too soft, but just right. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/19/) — So she seated herself in it, and there she sate till the bottom of the chair came out, and down she came, plump upon the ground. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/20/) — And the naughty old Woman said a wicked word about that too. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/21/) — Then the little old Woman went upstairs into the bed-chamber in which the three Bears slept. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/22/) — And first she lay down upon the bed of the Great, Huge Bear; but that was too high at the head for her. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/23/) — And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle Bear; and that was too high at the foot for her. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/24/) — And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and that was neither too high at the head, nor at the foot, but just right. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/25/) — So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay there till she fell fast asleep. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/26/) — By this time the Three Bears thought their porridge would be cool enough; so they came home to breakfast. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/27/) — Now the little old Woman had left the spoon of the Great, Huge Bear, standing in his porridge. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/28/) — “Somebody has been at my porridge!” - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/29/) — said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/30/) — And when the Middle Bear looked at his, he saw that the spoon was standing in it too. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/31/) — They were wooden spoons; if they had been silver ones, the naughty old Woman would have put them in her pocket. - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/32/) — “Somebody has been at my porridge!” - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/33/) — said the Middle Bear in his middle voice. - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/34/) — Then the Little, Small, Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the porridge-pot, but the porridge was all gone. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/35/) — “Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up!” - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/36/) — said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice. - [37](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/37/) — Upon this the Three Bears, seeing that some one had entered their house, and eaten up the Little, Small, Wee Bear's breakfast, began to look about them. - [38](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/38/) — Now the little old Woman had not put the hard cushion straight when she rose from the chair of the Great, Huge Bear. - [39](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/39/) — “Somebody has been sitting in my chair!” - [40](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/40/) — said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. - [41](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/41/) — And the little old Woman had squatted down the soft cushion of the Middle Bear. - [42](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/42/) — “Somebody has been sitting in my chair!” - [43](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/43/) — said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice. - [44](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/44/) — And you know what the little old Woman had done to the third chair. - [45](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/45/) — “Somebody has been sitting in my chair and has sate the bottom out of it!” - [46](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/46/) — said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice. - [47](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/47/) — Then the Three Bears thought it necessary that they should make farther search; so they went upstairs into their bedchamber. - [48](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/48/) — Now the little old Woman had pulled the pillow of the Great, Huge Bear, out of its place. - [49](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/49/) — “Somebody has been lying in my bed!” - [50](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/50/) — said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. - [51](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/51/) — And the little old Woman had pulled the bolster of the Middle Bear out of its place. - [52](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/52/) — “Somebody has been lying in my bed!” - [53](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/53/) — said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice. - [54](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/54/) — And when the Little, Small, Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the bolster in its place; and the pillow in its place upon the bolster; and upon the pillow was the little old Woman's ugly, dirty head,--which was not in its place, for she had no business there. - [55](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/55/) — “Somebody has been lying in my bed,--and here she is!” - [56](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/56/) — said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice. - [57](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/57/) — The little old Woman had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff voice of the Great, Huge Bear; but she was so fast asleep that it was no more to her than the roaring of wind, or the rumbling of thunder. - [58](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/58/) — And she had heard the middle voice, of the Middle Bear, but it was only as if she had heard some one speaking in a dream. - [59](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/59/) — But when she heard the little, small, wee voice of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, it was so sharp, and so shrill, that it awakened her at once. - [60](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/60/) — Up she started; and when she saw the Three Bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself out at the other, and ran to the window. - [61](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/61/) — Now the window was open, because the Bears, like good, tidy Bears, as they were, always opened their bedchamber window when they got up in the morning. - [62](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/62/) — Out the little old Woman jumped; and whether she broke her neck in the fall; or ran into the wood and was lost there; or found her way out of the wood, and was taken up by the constable and sent to the House of Correction for a vagrant as she was, I cannot tell. - [63](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/21/63/) — But the Three Bears never saw anything more of her. - ← previous: [Jack and His Golden Snuff-box](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/20/) - next →: [Jack the Giant-killer](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/22/) - ↑ back to [English Fairy Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/)