Chapter 2 of Billy and the Big Stick is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Billy and the Big Stick is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat! Are you our new minister?” One of the other young men exclaimed reproachfully: “You know him perfectly well!” he protested. “You’ve seen his picture thousands of times.”
Chapter 2 of Billy and the Big Stick is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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 short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading ““Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!”
inflected form of “comply” — act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
From this reading ““Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!”
an official engaged in international negotiations
From this reading ““Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading ““Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!”
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “Are you our new minister?””
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading ““You’ve seen his picture thousands of times.””
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading ““You know him perfectly well!” he protested.”
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading ““You’ve seen his picture thousands of times.””
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 “Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!
inflected form of “comply” — act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
From this reading “Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!
an official engaged in international negotiations
From this reading “Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading One of the other young men exclaimed reproachfully:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You know him perfectly well!” he protested.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You know him perfectly well!” he protested.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “You’ve seen his picture thousands of times.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You know him perfectly well!” he protested.
the force of workers available
From this reading One of the other young men exclaimed reproachfully:
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading Are you our new minister?”
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Are you our new minister?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One of the other young men exclaimed reproachfully:
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the other young men exclaimed reproachfully:
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading One of the other young men exclaimed reproachfully:
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Are you our new minister?”
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “You know him perfectly well!” he protested.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading “You’ve seen his picture thousands of times.”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “You know him perfectly well!” he protested.
in a reproving or reproachful manner
From this reading One of the other young men exclaimed reproachfully:
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You’ve seen his picture thousands of times.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One of the other young men exclaimed reproachfully:
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading “You’ve seen his picture thousands of times.”
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading “You’ve seen his picture thousands of times.”
(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 “You know him perfectly well!” he protested.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Then,” Billy complied eagerly, “you are a diplomat!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’ve seen his picture thousands of times.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading One of the other young men exclaimed reproachfully:
Chapter 2 of Billy and the Big Stick by Richard Harding Davis holds 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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.
Chapter 2 holds 256 sentences of Billy and the Big Stick, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Billy and the Big Stick by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Billy and the Big Stick by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 530 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1764 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1764, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 44 minutes of reading across 106 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Billy and the Big Stick section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Billy and the Big Stick 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 Billy and the Big Stick, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
