Chapter 2 of An American Robinson Crusoe for American is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of An American Robinson Crusoe for American is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth. Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines. But the little things would fall out of the net. I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes." But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface.
Chapter 2 of An American Robinson Crusoe for American is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
plural of “bag” — a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading “"The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.”
plural of “basket” — a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading “"The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.”
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading “"The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.”
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading “"The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.”
plural of “mesh” — the number of openings per linear inch of a screen; measures size of particles
From this reading “I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes."”
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading “Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.”
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “"The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.”
plural of “vine” — a plant with a weak stem that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface
From this reading “Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes."
(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 Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.
plural of “bag” — a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
plural of “basket” — a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the little things would fall out of the net.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes."
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading But the little things would fall out of the net.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But the little things would fall out of the net.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
engage in
From this reading Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.
plural of “mesh” — the number of openings per linear inch of a screen; measures size of particles
From this reading I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes."
used to form the superlative
From this reading Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But the little things would fall out of the net.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
by chance
From this reading Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
cut with a saw
From this reading But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes."
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface.
in the near future
From this reading But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But he soon saw that the vines did not give a smooth surface.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading But the little things would fall out of the net.
plural of “vine” — a plant with a weak stem that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface
From this reading Of them all, I could most easily make the net, perhaps, of vines.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will see whether I can make a net of small meshes."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But the little things would fall out of the net.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading "The people in New York," he said, "have baskets, or pockets, or bags made of coarse cloth.
Chapter 2 of An American Robinson Crusoe for American by Samuel B. (Samuel Buell) Allison holds 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 447 sentences of An American Robinson Crusoe for American, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of An American Robinson Crusoe for American by Samuel B. (Samuel Buell) Allison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 An American Robinson Crusoe for American by Samuel B. (Samuel Buell) Allison on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2220 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22309 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22309, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 185 minutes of reading across 444 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An American Robinson Crusoe for American section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of An American Robinson Crusoe for American 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 An American Robinson Crusoe for American, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
