Chapter 2 of Castle Craneycrow 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 Castle Craneycrow is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.” The young prince was looking eagerly ahead. Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment. Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days? He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
Chapter 2 of Castle Craneycrow 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.
at or in the front
From this reading “The young prince was looking eagerly ahead.”
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “The young prince was looking eagerly ahead.”
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading “Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment.”
plural of “introduction” — the act of beginning something new
From this reading “He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.”
despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)
From this reading “He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.”
commanding attention
From this reading “Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?”
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 “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
at or in the front
From this reading The young prince was looking eagerly ahead.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading The young prince was looking eagerly ahead.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
plural of “introduction” — the act of beginning something new
From this reading He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading The young prince was looking eagerly ahead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?
despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)
From this reading He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading The young prince was looking eagerly ahead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment.
cut with a saw
From this reading Quentin saw Miss Garrison and gasped with astonishment.
only a very short time before
From this reading He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
commanding attention
From this reading Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The young prince was looking eagerly ahead.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The young prince was looking eagerly ahead.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears, notwithstanding the introductions which followed.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “She will be with Lady Marnham, Ah, I see them now.”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?
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 Could that stunning young woman be the little Dorothy of New York days?
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young prince was looking eagerly ahead.
Chapter 2 of Castle Craneycrow by George Barr McCutcheon holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Castle Craneycrow, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Castle Craneycrow by George Barr McCutcheon exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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 Castle Craneycrow by George Barr McCutcheon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5252 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5349 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5349, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 437 minutes of reading across 1051 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Castle Craneycrow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Castle Craneycrow 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 Castle Craneycrow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
