Chapter 2 of Boys of Other Countries is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Boys of Other Countries is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Come here to us!” “I cannot!” he cried. In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds. They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!” “I cannot!”
Chapter 2 of Boys of Other Countries is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading “In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.”
-ing form of “form” — create (as an entity)
From this reading “They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!””
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading “In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.”
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading “They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!””
plural of “hoof” — the foot of an ungulate mammal
From this reading “In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.”
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading “In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.”
plural of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading “They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!””
of or relating to a spectrum
From this reading “They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!””
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.
In this reading “In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.”
In this reading “In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.”
at or in the front
In this reading “They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!””
In this reading ““Come here to us!””
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 In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
anew
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I cannot!” he cried.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Come here to us!”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “I cannot!” he cried.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
-ing form of “form” — create (as an entity)
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I cannot!” he cried.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Come here to us!”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
plural of “hoof” — the foot of an ungulate mammal
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I cannot!” he cried.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
plural of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
a plane figure with the shape of half a circle
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
of or relating to a spectrum
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading They halted, forming a semicircle in front of him; and then one of three dim, spectral riders leaning forward again called: “Come here!”
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Come here to us!”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Come here to us!”
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading In a few minutes more he heard the hoofs returning, and then the forms of ponies became visible through the driving snow-clouds.
Chapter 2 of Boys of Other Countries by Bayard Taylor holds 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 439 sentences of Boys of Other Countries, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Boys of Other Countries by Bayard Taylor exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Boys of Other Countries by Bayard Taylor on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1771 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64047 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64047, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 147 minutes of reading across 355 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Boys of Other Countries section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Boys of Other Countries 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 Boys of Other Countries, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
