Chapter 2 of A second reader is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A second reader is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The sigh went up to the loving leaves. “We must help,” they whispered low. “They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees! But we love you well, you know.” And the trees said, “We are strong—make haste!
Chapter 2 of A second reader is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading ““They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!”
made afraid
From this reading ““They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!”
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading “And the trees said, “We are strong—make haste!”
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading “The sigh went up to the loving leaves.”
feeling or showing love and affection
From this reading “The sigh went up to the loving leaves.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “The sigh went up to the loving leaves.”
wanting in physical strength
From this reading ““They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading ““We must help,” they whispered low.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “And the trees said, “We are strong—make haste!”
move upward
In this reading “The sigh went up to the loving leaves.”
In this reading ““They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!”
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.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading “They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But we love you well, you know.”
made afraid
From this reading “They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading And the trees said, “We are strong—make haste!
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “We must help,” they whispered low.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But we love you well, you know.”
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading The sigh went up to the loving leaves.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading But we love you well, you know.”
feeling or showing love and affection
From this reading The sigh went up to the loving leaves.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “We must help,” they whispered low.
engage in
From this reading And the trees said, “We are strong—make haste!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “We must help,” they whispered low.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading And the trees said, “We are strong—make haste!
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading The sigh went up to the loving leaves.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading And the trees said, “We are strong—make haste!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The sigh went up to the loving leaves.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “We must help,” they whispered low.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The sigh went up to the loving leaves.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading “They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The sigh went up to the loving leaves.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We must help,” they whispered low.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading “They are frightened and weak, O brave old trees!
(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 But we love you well, you know.”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The sigh went up to the loving leaves.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “We must help,” they whispered low.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But we love you well, you know.”
Chapter 2 of A second reader by Frank E. (Frank Ellsworth) Spaulding holds 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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 244 sentences of A second reader, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A second reader by Frank E. (Frank Ellsworth) Spaulding exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 second reader by Frank E. (Frank Ellsworth) Spaulding on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 836 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68545 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68545, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 69 minutes of reading across 168 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A second reader section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of A second reader 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 second reader, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
