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Barrack-room ballads
Barrack-room ballads

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Barrack-room ballads is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Barrack-room ballads
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.
'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.
So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!
Yes, Din!
Din!
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Barrack-room ballads

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Barrack-room ballads is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.
Line 2
'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.
Line 3
So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!
Line 4
Yes, Din!
/jes dɪn/
Line 5
Din!
/dɪn/

Learner Dictionary

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.

beggar noun US /ˈbeɡər/

a pauper who lives by begging

From this reading “'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.”

bullet noun US /ˈbʊlət/

a projectile that is fired from a gun

From this reading “'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.”

canteen noun US /kænˈtiːn/

a flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travelers

From this reading “So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!”

coals noun US /koʊlz/

plural of “coal” — fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period

From this reading “So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!”

Din noun US /dɪn/

a loud harsh or strident noise

From this reading “'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.”

drill verb US /drɪl/

make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool

From this reading “So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!”

drilled adjective US /drɪld/

trained in a skill by repetitious practice

From this reading “'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.”

swig noun US /swɪɡ/

a large and hurried swallow

From this reading “So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

beggarnounUS /ˈbeɡər/

a pauper who lives by begging

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

bulletnounUS /ˈbʊlət/

a projectile that is fired from a gun

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

canteennounUS /kænˈtiːn/

a flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travelers

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

carriedverbUS /ˈkærid/

inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

cleanadjectiveUS /kliːn/

free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

coalsnounUS /koʊlz/

plural of “coal” — fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

damnedadjectiveUS /dæmd/

expletives used informally as intensifiers

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

DinnounUS /dɪn/

a loud harsh or strident noise

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

dooli

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

doubleverbUS /ˈdʌbəl/

increase twofold

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

drillverbUS /drɪl/

make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

drilledadjectiveUS /drɪld/

trained in a skill by repetitious practice

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

drinkverbUS /drɪŋk/

take in liquids

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

EnounUS /iː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

E'll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

Givin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

Gunga

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

hellnounUS /hel/

any place of pain and turmoil

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

I'll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

im

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

insideadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

it's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

likedadjectiveUS /laɪkt/

found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

meetverbUS /miːt/

come together

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

ope

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

safeadjectiveUS /seɪf/

free from danger or the risk of harm

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

sez

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

soulsnounUS /soʊlz/

plural of “soul” — the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

squattin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

swignounUS /swɪɡ/

a large and hurried swallow

From this reading So I'll meet 'im later on At the place where 'e is gone-- Where it's always double drill and no canteen; 'E'll be squattin' on the coals Givin' drink to poor damned souls, An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading 'E carried me away To where a dooli lay, An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading Yes, Din!

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading 'E put me safe inside, An' just before 'e died, “I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.

Chapter 2 of Barrack-room ballads by Rudyard Kipling holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 2 of Barrack-room ballads contain?

Chapter 2 holds 148 sentences of Barrack-room ballads, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Barrack-room ballads by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of Barrack-room ballads?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Barrack-room ballads

Common questions about reading Barrack-room ballads by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Barrack-room ballads?

Yes. All 792 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2819 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Barrack-room ballads is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2819, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Barrack-room ballads take to read?

About 66 minutes of reading across 159 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Barrack-room ballads section by section

How to work through Barrack-room ballads section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Barrack-room ballads

Words and structures a reader meets early in Barrack-room ballads, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Danny
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Barrack-room ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Deever
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Barrack-room ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tommy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Barrack-room ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fuzzy-wuzzy'
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Barrack-room ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.