Chapter 2 of Blown to Bits is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Blown to Bits is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Indeed! That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts." "This one do. He is very big, and also climbs trees. It goes about most at night.
Chapter 2 of Blown to Bits is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “He is very big, and also climbs trees.”
plural of “climb” — an upward slope or grade (as in a road)
From this reading “He is very big, and also climbs trees.”
decapod having eyes on short stalks and a broad flattened carapace with a small abdomen folded under the thorax and pincers
From this reading “That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."”
any federal law-enforcement officer
From this reading “That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."”
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading “It goes about most at night.”
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “"Indeed!”
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."”
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading “He is very big, and also climbs trees.”
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 That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It goes about most at night.
in addition
From this reading He is very big, and also climbs trees.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He is very big, and also climbs trees.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It goes about most at night.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He is very big, and also climbs trees.
plural of “climb” — an upward slope or grade (as in a road)
From this reading He is very big, and also climbs trees.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
decapod having eyes on short stalks and a broad flattened carapace with a small abdomen folded under the thorax and pincers
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "This one do.
any federal law-enforcement officer
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading It goes about most at night.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is very big, and also climbs trees.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "Indeed!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It goes about most at night.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It goes about most at night.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It goes about most at night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "This one do.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That is strange; I never heard before of a crab that fed on cocoa-nuts."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This one do.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading He is very big, and also climbs trees.
precisely as stated
From this reading He is very big, and also climbs trees.
Chapter 2 of Blown to Bits by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Blown to Bits, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Blown to Bits by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Blown to Bits by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4556 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23371 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23371, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 379 minutes of reading across 912 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blown to Bits section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Blown to Bits 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 Blown to Bits, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
