Spelling Plus Level G:
Dictation Sentences from Children's Literature

The sentences below contain only words that children working at the indicated levels in Spelling Plus should be able to spell. Some words are included that aren't on the lists, but are regularly spelled according to rules children should have learned by the time they get to the list. Pronouns are sometimes used in place of proper nouns to make a sentence easier to spell.

Remember that dictation of sentences from a list should occur in the week after children pass a weekly test on the list, or anytime after that. If a link in the array below doesn't take you anywhere, there are no sentences for that list in this collection.

List 59 from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The town had gone wild with excitement.
“Well, that’s that!” said Grandpa Joe brightly. “It’s just what we expected.”
“Have you got it?” whispered Grandpa Joe, his eyes shining with excitement.
All the children, except Charlie, had both their mothers and fathers with them.
This is going to be such an exciting day! I do hope you enjoy it! I’m sure you will! I know you will!
Mr. Wonka himself had suddenly become even more excited than usual, and anyone could see that this was the room he loved best of all. He was hopping about like a child, not knowing which thing to look at first.
His eyes were shining with excitement.
The old man’s face was shining with excitement as he watched every move that Mr. Wonka made.
It took quite a time for them to explain to everyone what had been happening to them all day.

List 59 from Black Beauty

Though he has not had much experience, he has a light hand and a quick eye.
Your example would go a long way.
Joe’s voice shook with excitement.
There was a great deal of hurry and excitement after the news became known.
I was much excited by what had happened.
The stars were shining, and except the noise behind us, all was still.
You have been my best friend except my mother.

List 59 from Peter Pan

“And if he forgets them so quickly,” Wendy argued, “how can we expect that he will go on remembering us?”
“There are such a lot of them,” he said. “I expect she is no more.”
“They don’t want us to land,” he explained.
“You just think lovely wonderful thoughts,” Peter explained, “and they lift you up in the air.”
“It was because I heard father and mother,” he explained in a low voice, “talking about what I was to be when I became a man.”
“I came back for my mother,” he explained, “to take her to the Neverland.”
Even when she explained he could not remember.
“There are always lots of young ones,” explained Wendy.
They were waiting below to give Wendy time to explain about them.
Tinker Bell could not explain this, for even she did not know the dark secret.
“They were married, you know,” explained Wendy, “and what do you think they had?”
I have no real experience.
Now such an experience had come that night to Peter.
I would take it now as an example to you.
“Oh Wendy, who is she?” cried Nibs, every bit as excited as if he didn’t know.
There was the same excitement over John.
Perhaps there was some excuse for him.
The children were having their dinner, all except Peter, who had gone out to get the time.
All wanted blood except the boys, who liked it as a rule, but tonight were out to greet their captain.
She can’t sleep except when she’s sleepy.
All children, except one, grow up.
There was none to see it except a little boy who was staring in at the window.

List 59 from Alice in Wonderland

“I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, “ said Alice, “because I’m not myself, you see.”
There was nothing on it except a tiny golden key, and Alice’s first thought was that it might belong to one of the doors of the hall.
It sounded an excellent plan, no doubt.
The best way to explain it is to do it.
She ran off at once in the direction it pointed to, without trying to explain the mistake it had made.

List 60 from Black Beauty

One day she came down later than usual.
He went as carefully over my eyes as if they were his own.
“Now,” he said, after carefully looking at us both, “I can see nothing wrong with these horses.”
It was now early April, and the family was expected home some time in May.
Sometimes, when I have had less exercise than usual, I have felt so full of life and spring that I really could not keep quiet.
Ride to the doctor’s and tell him to come immediately.

List 60 from Peter Pan

He immediately knew that the sleeper was in his power.
“All right,” Peter said with a smile, and immediately they rushed to get their things.
Immediately, every head was blown in one direction.
He immediately answered in Hook’s voice.
Immediately, without opening her eyes, Wendy began to sing.
He was quite a practical boy.
In his absence things are usually quiet on the island.
Usually when she began to tell this story he left the room or put his hands over his ears.
What usually happened was that they forgot to do this or did it too much.
“I thought so,” she said, and went and sat by herself at the extreme end of the room.
He might have forgotten it so completely that he said nothing about it.

List 60 from Alice in Wonderland

That generally takes some time.
She got used to it in a few minutes, and began talking to herself, as usual.
Yesterday things went on just as usual.
The Rabbit actually took a watch out of its pocket and looked at it, and then hurried on.
Its eyes were getting extremely small for a baby.

List 61 from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Be patient! You shall see everything as we go along! Are all of you inside? Good! Would you mind closing the door? Thank you!

List 61 from Black Beauty

He has such a sweet face, and such a fine intelligent eye.
He was always good and patient, especially at first.
“It has all been so different with me,” she said.
Of course it is very different here, but who knows how long it will last?
I should like your opinion on these horses.
It is not always easy to get his opinion about people.
It was three or four times as large as the old house, but not half so pleasant, if a horse may have an opinion.

List 61 from Peter Pan

“She was here just now,” he said, a little impatiently.
I suppose that was the real difference between him and all the rest.
The only difference is that the clothes are made to fit you, while you have to be made to fit the tree.
The difference between him and the other boys at such a time was that they knew it was make-believe, while to him make-believe and true were exactly the same thing.
It added up differently each time.
“Father knows best,” she always said, whatever her private opinion must be.
Peter was already of the opinion that he had never cried: in his life.
He looked in again to see why the music had stopped.
The doomed children answered with a cheer that was music to the black hearts above.

List 61 from Alice in Wonderland

The Mouse only shook its head impatiently, and walked a little quicker.
This time Alice waited patiently until it chose to speak again.
I almost think I can remember feeling a little different.
That’s different from what I used to say when I was a child.
There’s hardly enough of me left to make ONE person!
It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
“Well, perhaps your feelings may be different,” said Alice.
“Nobody asked your opinion,” said Alice.
I know I have to beat time when I learn music.

List 62 from Black Beauty

He was not allowed to exercise either of us.
I could not see on either side, but only straight in front of me.
On the other hand, we saw people who loved their neighbors.
Her weight was little, her voice was sweet, and her hand was light on the rein.
He had eight miles to walk, so I lay down and tried to go to sleep.

List 62 from Peter Pan

We will seize the children and carry them to the boat.
It was not to receive his thanks, however, that she hung there in the sky. It was not even to watch him get into the nest. It was to see what he did with her eggs.
Of course, neither of them understood the other’s language.
I can neither fly nor swim.
Neither knew that the other was coming.
He was the only boy on the island who could neither write nor spell, not the smallest word.
There was not a sound, and he drew himself up firmly to his full height.

List 62 from Alice in Wonderland

Neither of the others took the least notice of her going, though she looked back once or twice, half hoping they would call after her.
It was neither more nor less than a pig.
I don’t know the meaning of half those long words, and, what’s more, I don’t believe you do either!
We won’t talk about cats or dogs either, if you don’t like them!
Either the locks were too large, or the key was too small, but at any rate it would not open any of them.
As she couldn’t answer either question, it didn’t much matter which way she put it.
Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next.
Either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time! Take your choice!
Visit either you like. They’re both mad.
The Cat seemed to think there was enough of it now in sight, and no more of it appeared.
There was a large mushroom growing near her, about the same height as herself.
She was exactly the right height to rest her chin upon Alice’s shoulder.

List 63 from Black Beauty

I should like to know if you have noticed anything particular about either of these.
It would not have been difficult for people to run into each other there.
Many an accident would never have happened if horses might have the full use of their eyes.

List 63 from Peter Pan

Suppose we tell of the birds that were Peter’s friends, particularly of the Never bird.
“No, no,” Mr. Darling always said, “I am responsible for it all.”
She died of old age, and in the end she had been difficult to get on with.
It’s awfully difficult to be a twin.
The difficulty is which one to choose.
This is a difficult question, because it is quite impossible to say how time does wear on in the Neverland.
Unless your tree fitted you it was difficult to go up and down, and no two of the boys were quite the same size.
It is only the gay and innocent and heartless who can fly.
He had hoped to fly, keeping not far from the ground so that nothing should escape his eyes.
Was his enemy to escape him after all?

List 63 from Alice in Wonderland

“Oh, I’m not particular as to size,” Alice replied.
“I know I do!” said Alice aloud, addressing nobody in particular.
They don’t seem to have any rules in particular.
The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. “Off with his head!” she said, without even looking round.
Alice caught the baby with some difficulty.
As it was perfectly round, she found this a very difficult question.
The only difficulty was that she had not the smallest idea how to set about it.
She was looking about for some way of escape, and wondering whether she could get away without being seen.
She began picking them up again as quickly as she could, for the accident of the goldfish kept running in her head.

List 64 from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Just imagine when I start using this across the country.

List 64 from Peter Pan

Almost immediately they repeated their goodbyes to Peter.
“I want you,” the bird said, and repeated it all over.
Last come the Twins, who cannot be described because we should be sure to be describing the wrong one.
“There is one thing,” Peter continued, “that every boy under me has to promise, and so must you.”
“You did a little,” Peter said carelessly, and continued to dance.
The night-lights by the beds of the three children continued to burn clearly.
“They flew away,” Wendy continued, “to the Neverland, where the lost children are.”
“You see,” he continued, “it would make me seem so old to be their real father.”
Just as she had prepared it, she saw a look on his face that made her heart sink.
But there was one who did not fear him. There was one prepared to enter that circle.
“Let us carry her down to the house,” he suggested.
“Let us creep in,” John suggested, “and put our hands over her eyes.”
Every child is affected the first time he is treated unfairly.

List 64 from Alice in Wonderland

“What is the use of repeating all that stuff,” he interrupted, “if you don’t explain it as you go on.”
However, she got up, and began to repeat it, but she hardly knew what she was saying.
She turned to the Mouse and repeated her question.
I should like to hear her try and repeat something now.
They repeated their arguments to her, though, as they all spoke at once, she found it very hard indeed to make out exactly what they said.
“How am I to get in?” she repeated, aloud.
Imagine her surprise, when the White Rabbit read out, at the top of his shrill little voice, the name “Alice!”
“How are you getting on now, my dear?” it continued, turning to Alice as it spoke.
“If that’s all you know about it, you may stand down,” continued the King.
Luckily for Alice, the little magic bottle had now had its full effect, and she grew no larger.

List 65 from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

In less than half a minute, the whole thing had disappeared.
They change color once a week! And they never get any smaller! They never disappear. NEVER! At least I don’t think they do.
Don’t drink it outdoors! There’s no knowing how high up you’ll be carried if you do that. I gave some to an old Oompa-Loompa once out in the back yard and he went up and up and disappeared out of sight! It was very sad. I never saw him again.
“The chocolate’s gone!” shouted Grandpa Joe, waving his arms.
He was quite right! The whole bar of chocolate had disappeared completely into thin air.
“It’s on its way!” cried Mr. Wonka.
The picture of Mike appeared on the screen.

List 65 from Peter Pan

Peter climbed it on the opposite side.
Nothing could have disappeared more quickly.
Two red spots appeared in them and lit them up.
The birds had such strange names that they were wild and difficult of approach.

List 65 from Alice in Wonderland

When they came opposite to Alice, they all stopped and looked at her.
The Cat’s head began fading away and by the time he had come back, it had entirely disappeared.
Alice waited a little, half expecting to see it again, but it did not appear, and after a minute or two she walked on.
Alice felt very glad to get an opportunity of showing off a little of her knowledge.
Though this was not a very good opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her, still it was good practice to say it over.
This seemed to Alice a good opportunity for making her escape, so she set off at once.
In another minute, the whole head appeared.
“All right,” said the Cat, and this time it disappeared quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.
An old Crab took the opportunity of saying to her daughter, “Ah, my dear! Let this be a lesson to you never to lose your temper!”

List 66 from Peter Pan

Perhaps the machine brought it to his mind.
It was in his darkest hours only that he referred to himself in the third person.
There was a fixed rule that they must never hit back, but should refer the matter to Wendy.
Had he known he would have stopped, for to board by help of the tick, though a good idea, had not occurred to him.

List 66 from Alice in Wonderland

When she had looked under it, and on both sides of it, and behind it, it occurred to her that she might as well look and see what was on the top of it.

List 67 from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“He’s brilliant!” cried Grandpa Joe. “Just imagine what will happen now! The whole world will be searching for those Golden Tickets! Everyone will be buying candy bars in the hope of finding one! He’ll sell more than ever before! Oh, how exciting it would be to find one!”
Her face and hands and legs and neck, in fact the skin all over her body, had turned a brilliant blue.

List 67 from Black Beauty

When he came to look at us, he seemed pleased with our appearance.
Then I was led off by a man to a little distance.
We heard, quite in the distance, what sounded like the cry of dogs.

List 67 from Peter Pan

He had seen the animal pass by without noticing anything peculiar about it, but by and by he remembered that it had not been ticking.
Peter, boylike, was indifferent to appearances.
Terrible as the sudden appearance of the pirates must have been to them, they remained stationary.
There was a step above, and Wendy, you may be sure, was the first to recognize it.
Strange to say, they all recognized it at once.

List 67 from Alice in Wonderland

“He’s brilliant!” cried Grandpa Joe. “Just imagine what will happen now! The whole world will be searching for those Golden Tickets! Everyone will be buying candy bars in the hope of finding one! He’ll sell more than ever before! Oh, how exciting it would be to find one!”
Her face and hands and legs and neck, in fact the skin all over her body, had turned a brilliant blue.

List 68 from Black Beauty

“Have you decided what to do, John?” he said.
I decided to make the best of it and do my duty.

List 68 from Peter Pan

He wanted John to decide, and John wanted him to decide.
Then he decided not to take his medicine.
John said, “How ripping,” but decided to have tea first.
“We were still discussing it, remember,” he said, “when she came in with his medicine.”
Their progress had become slow, exactly as if they we
re pushing their way through.
They could not follow him in this with much success.

List 68 from Alice in Wonderland

Yes, that’s about the right distance.
On second thoughts she decided to remain where she was as long as there was room for her.

List 69 from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Little Charlie looked slowly around at each of the four old faces, one after the other, and they all looked back at him. They were friendly smiling faces, but they were also quite serious.
“Do you love it, too, Charlie?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” cried Charlie. “I think it’s the most wonderful place in the whole world!”
“I am very pleased to hear you say that,” said Mr. Wonka, looking more serious than ever. He went on staring at Charlie. “Yes,” he said, “I am very pleased indeed to hear you say that. And now I shall tell you why.” Mr. Wonka smiled. “You see, my dear boy, I have decided to make you a present of the whole place."

List 69 from Black Beauty

His head fell back and his arms hung down, and everyone looked very serious.
If he was very serious, I always knew it by his voice.

List 69 from Peter Pan

But on this occasion he had fallen at once to sleep.
She had found her two older children playing at being herself and father on the occasion.
They are not really friendly to Peter, who had a mischievous way of stealing up behind them and trying to blow them out.
At present she was full of jealousy of Wendy.
“Better to do what the captain orders,” he said nervously.
“I do wish Peter would come back,” every one of them said nervously.
For a time he seemed unconscious of their presence.
Of this, as of almost everything else, he was quite unconscious.
These he had boiled down into something quite unknown to science, which was probably the worst poison in existence.
He did it with such an air that she was too fascinated to cry out.
It had become a very familiar scene, this, in the home under the ground, but we are looking on it for the first time.

List 69 from Alice in Wonderland

She was a little nervous about it just at first.
Alice recognized the White Rabbit. It was talking in a hurried nervous manner, smiling at everything that was said, and went by without noticing her.

Spelling Plus Level G: Dictation Sentences from Children's Literature