Chapter 2 of At the Black Rocks is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of At the Black Rocks is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No; let’s surprise ’em." "But they’ll hear us." "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here." "But how can you manage the anchor?" "Raise it."
Chapter 2 of At the Black Rocks is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving
From this reading “"But how can you manage the anchor?"”
any thing at all
From this reading “"No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “"But they’ll hear us."”
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “"But how can you manage the anchor?"”
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading “"No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."”
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading “"Raise it."”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “"No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “"No; let’s surprise ’em."”
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.
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving
From this reading "But how can you manage the anchor?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
any thing at all
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But they’ll hear us."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "But how can you manage the anchor?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
a quad with a square body
From this reading "No; let’s surprise ’em."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "But they’ll hear us."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But how can you manage the anchor?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Raise it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; let’s surprise ’em."
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading "But how can you manage the anchor?"
not any; not one
From this reading "No; let’s surprise ’em."
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading "Raise it."
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading "No; let’s surprise ’em."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But how can you manage the anchor?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But they’ll hear us."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "But they’ll hear us."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; they are quarrelling about something, and they won’t notice anything we do here."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But how can you manage the anchor?"
Chapter 2 of At the Black Rocks by Edward A. (Edward Augustus) Rand holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 431 sentences of At the Black Rocks, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of At the Black Rocks by Edward A. (Edward Augustus) Rand exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 At the Black Rocks by Edward A. (Edward Augustus) Rand on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3099 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40269 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40269, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 620 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through At the Black Rocks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of At the Black Rocks 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 At the Black Rocks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
