Chapter 2 of Barks and Purrs is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Barks and Purrs is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes. How about the cat? He'll never allow us to shut him up ... SHE We'll see ... Suppose we put some meat in his basket?
Chapter 2 of Barks and Purrs is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading “He'll never allow us to shut him up ...”
with anxiety or apprehension
a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading “Suppose we put some meat in his basket?”
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “How about the cat?”
the flesh of animals (including fishes and birds and snails) used as food
From this reading “Suppose we put some meat in his basket?”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “He'll never allow us to shut him up ...”
plural of “train” — public transport provided by a line of railway cars coupled together and drawn by a locomotive
From this reading “HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.”
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 How about the cat?
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading He'll never allow us to shut him up ...
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.
a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading Suppose we put some meat in his basket?
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading How about the cat?
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.
the act of departing
From this reading HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He'll never allow us to shut him up ...
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He'll never allow us to shut him up ...
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Suppose we put some meat in his basket?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How about the cat?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.
the flesh of animals (including fishes and birds and snails) used as food
From this reading Suppose we put some meat in his basket?
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He'll never allow us to shut him up ...
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Suppose we put some meat in his basket?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading SHE We'll see ...
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading SHE We'll see ...
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading He'll never allow us to shut him up ...
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Suppose we put some meat in his basket?
express a supposition
From this reading Suppose we put some meat in his basket?
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading How about the cat?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.
plural of “train” — public transport provided by a line of railway cars coupled together and drawn by a locomotive
From this reading HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He'll never allow us to shut him up ...
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He'll never allow us to shut him up ...
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Suppose we put some meat in his basket?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHE We'll see ...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HE, (_anxiously_) We're going to change trains in ten minutes.
Chapter 2 of Barks and Purrs by Colette holds 476 sentences, grouped into 96 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 476 sentences of Barks and Purrs, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Barks and Purrs by Colette exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 476 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 Barks and Purrs by Colette on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1490 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11737 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11737, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 124 minutes of reading across 298 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Barks and Purrs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Barks and Purrs 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 Barks and Purrs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
