Chapter II of Brother Billy, “Indians,” is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter II of Brother Billy, “Indians,” is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence. "I wish I could take you back to New York with me. You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?" "No, wouldn't know 'em if I'd meet 'em." "It's a shame.
Chapter II of Brother Billy, “Indians,” is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “"You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.”
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"”
a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
From this reading “"You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.”
a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries
From this reading “"You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.”
the father of your father or mother
From this reading “You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"”
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading “"It's a shame.”
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading “"I wish I could take you back to New York with me.”
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 “"You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.”
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 "It's a shame.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading "You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "I wish I could take you back to New York with me.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading "You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I wish I could take you back to New York with me.
a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
From this reading "You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.
a quad with a square body
From this reading "No, wouldn't know 'em if I'd meet 'em."
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.
a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries
From this reading "You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wish I could take you back to New York with me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, wouldn't know 'em if I'd meet 'em."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "No, wouldn't know 'em if I'd meet 'em."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a shame.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "No, wouldn't know 'em if I'd meet 'em."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I wish I could take you back to New York with me.
come together
From this reading "No, wouldn't know 'em if I'd meet 'em."
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "I wish I could take you back to New York with me.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, wouldn't know 'em if I'd meet 'em."
To recall to mind.
From this reading You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading "It's a shame.
carry out
From this reading "I wish I could take you back to New York with me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I wish I could take you back to New York with me.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I wish I could take you back to New York with me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I wish I could take you back to New York with me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, wouldn't know 'em if I'd meet 'em."
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading "I wish I could take you back to New York with me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are the dearest children," exclaimed Aunt Florence.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You can't remember your grandfather and grandmother at all, can you, Billy?"
Chapter 2 of Brother Billy by Frances Margaret Fox holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 202 sentences of Brother Billy, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Brother Billy by Frances Margaret Fox exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Brother Billy by Frances Margaret Fox on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1547 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44637 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44637, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 128 minutes of reading across 310 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Brother Billy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Brother Billy 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 Brother Billy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
