Chapter 2 of Duffels is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Duffels is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Much great big wind blow--blow right up river. Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly. "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage. "Tell Bob to put the canoe in the water." And then to himself: "The negro is no fool."
Chapter 2 of Duffels is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 condition of being secured to a base
From this reading “"You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.”
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “"Tell Bob to put the canoe in the water."”
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading “"Tell Bob to put the canoe in the water."”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.”
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading “And then to himself: "The negro is no fool."”
the owner or manager of a plantation
From this reading “"You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.”
fasten with tacks
From this reading “Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.”
in a shy or timid or bashful manner
From this reading “Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.”
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.
at or in the front
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
(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 Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.
the condition of being secured to a base
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then to himself: "The negro is no fool."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Much great big wind blow--blow right up river.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.
exhale hard
From this reading "Much great big wind blow--blow right up river.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "Tell Bob to put the canoe in the water."
a youthful male person
From this reading Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading "Tell Bob to put the canoe in the water."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading And then to himself: "The negro is no fool."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "Much great big wind blow--blow right up river.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading And then to himself: "The negro is no fool."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Tell Bob to put the canoe in the water."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And then to himself: "The negro is no fool."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Much great big wind blow--blow right up river.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading And then to himself: "The negro is no fool."
not any; not one
From this reading And then to himself: "The negro is no fool."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
the owner or manager of a plantation
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Tell Bob to put the canoe in the water."
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Much great big wind blow--blow right up river.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading "Much great big wind blow--blow right up river.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
fasten with tacks
From this reading Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.
express in words
From this reading "Tell Bob to put the canoe in the water."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then to himself: "The negro is no fool."
in a shy or timid or bashful manner
From this reading Tack, tack, all day," muttered the black boy timidly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Much great big wind blow--blow right up river.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading "Tell Bob to put the canoe in the water."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
which person or people
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading "Much great big wind blow--blow right up river.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're right," said the planter, who had not observed that the strong wind would be dead ahead all the way to the anchorage.
Chapter 2 of Duffels by Edward Eggleston holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of Duffels, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Duffels by Edward Eggleston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Duffels by Edward Eggleston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3324 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25661 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25661, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 277 minutes of reading across 665 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Duffels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Duffels 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 Duffels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
