Chapter 2 of Bricks Without Straw: A Novel is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Bricks Without Straw: A Novel is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MARS MEDDLES. LOUISBURG, January 10, 1864. MR. SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government. I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
Chapter 2 of Bricks Without Straw: A Novel is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading “I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.”
a supporter of the Confederate States of America
From this reading “SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.”
come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
From this reading “I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.”
plural of “fortification” — defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it
From this reading “SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.”
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading “SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “LOUISBURG, January 10, 1864.”
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
From this reading “MARS MEDDLES.”
articles of the same kind or material; usually used in combination: “silverware”, “software”
From this reading “SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LOUISBURG, January 10, 1864.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LOUISBURG, January 10, 1864.
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
a supporter of the Confederate States of America
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
dearly loved
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
plural of “fortification” — defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading LOUISBURG, January 10, 1864.
for more time
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LOUISBURG, January 10, 1864.
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
From this reading MARS MEDDLES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MARS MEDDLES.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
not any; not one
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
term of address for a man
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I have tried every plan I could devise to avoid doing so, but can put it off no longer.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
articles of the same kind or material; usually used in combination: “silverware”, “software”
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading SILAS WARE: DEAR SIR: In ten days I have to furnish twenty hands to work on fortifications for the Confederate Government.
Chapter 2 of Bricks Without Straw: A Novel by Albion Winegar Tourgée holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 100 sentences of Bricks Without Straw: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Bricks Without Straw: A Novel by Albion Winegar Tourgée exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
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About 600 minutes of reading across 1541 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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