Chapter 2 of A Diversity of Creatures is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Diversity of Creatures is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'_And all that that implies_.' The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school. 'Well, get on,' said De Forest wearily. 'What is your silly trouble anyway?' 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
Chapter 2 of A Diversity of Creatures is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
sung or uttered rhythmically in a monotone
From this reading “The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.”
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading “The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.”
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading “'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.”
the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives
From this reading “'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.”
possessive form of “forest” — the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading “'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.”
third-person singular of “imply” — express or state indirectly
the head of a city government
From this reading “'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.”
in a weary manner
From this reading “'Well, get on,' said De Forest wearily.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading '_And all that that implies_.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading '_And all that that implies_.'
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading 'What is your silly trouble anyway?'
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
sung or uttered rhythmically in a monotone
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading 'Well, get on,' said De Forest wearily.
the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives
From this reading 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading 'Well, get on,' said De Forest wearily.
possessive form of “forest” — the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading 'Well, get on,' said De Forest wearily.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
third-person singular of “imply” — express or state indirectly
From this reading '_And all that that implies_.'
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'What is your silly trouble anyway?'
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
the head of a city government
From this reading 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading 'Well, get on,' said De Forest wearily.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'Well, get on,' said De Forest wearily.
an educational institution
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading 'What is your silly trouble anyway?'
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading '_And all that that implies_.'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading 'Too much dam' Democracy,' said the Mayor, laying his hand on De Forest's knee.
a source of difficulty
From this reading 'What is your silly trouble anyway?'
in a weary manner
From this reading 'Well, get on,' said De Forest wearily.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading 'Well, get on,' said De Forest wearily.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'What is your silly trouble anyway?'
which person or people
From this reading The big Four who ran Chicago chanted their Magna Charta like children at school.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'What is your silly trouble anyway?'
Chapter 2 of A Diversity of Creatures by Rudyard Kipling holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 413 sentences of A Diversity of Creatures, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Diversity of Creatures by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Diversity of Creatures by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13085 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13085, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1627 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Diversity of Creatures section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of A Diversity of Creatures to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Diversity of Creatures, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
