Chapter 2 of Cringle and cross-tree is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Cringle and cross-tree is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY. "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone. "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully. "He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago." "He!
Chapter 2 of Cringle and cross-tree is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading “"Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.”
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading “"He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."”
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading “"Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.”
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading “"He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."”
plural of “start” — the beginning of anything
From this reading “IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.”
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading “"He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."”
a port city in southern Ireland; famous for glass industry
From this reading “"Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.”
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 “IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.”
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 “"He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."”
In this reading “IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading "He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
a man of refinement
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
destroyed or killed
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading "He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading "He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."
term of address for a man
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."
plural of “start” — the beginning of anything
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading "He has some land to sell in the vicinity of Chicago."
a port city in southern Ireland; famous for glass industry
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
at the time that
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, sir; I know him, and he knows me as well as I know him," I replied, cheerfully.
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 IN WHICH PHIL STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND IS STOPPED ON THE WAY.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you know that gentleman, Phil?" asked Mr. Lamar, when Waterford had gone.
Chapter 2 of Cringle and cross-tree by Oliver Optic holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 109 sentences of Cringle and cross-tree, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Cringle and cross-tree by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 Cringle and cross-tree by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3451 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71482 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71482, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 287 minutes of reading across 691 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cringle and cross-tree section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Cringle and cross-tree 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 Cringle and cross-tree, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
