Chapter 2 of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear. He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks. His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair. "Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water! I am dying."
Chapter 2 of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading “His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.”
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading “He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.”
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading “His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.”
in a faint and feeble manner
From this reading “"Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water!”
plural of “han” — imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time from 206 BC to AD 220) and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; remembered as one of the great eras of Chinese civilization
From this reading “"Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water!”
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.”
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading “"Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water!”
doomed to extinction
From this reading “His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.”
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 At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am dying."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading "Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water!
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading I am dying."
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
in a faint and feeble manner
From this reading "Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water!
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear.
brought together in one place
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair
From this reading He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.
plural of “han” — imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time from 206 BC to AD 220) and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; remembered as one of the great eras of Chinese civilization
From this reading "Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am dying."
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.
cut with a saw
From this reading He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading "Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water!
doomed to extinction
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At this instant a faint cry fell on his ear.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water!
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned, and saw a gray-haired old man extended on the rocks.
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 "Water!" he stretched his arms to Hans, and cried feebly, "Water!
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His eyes were sunk, his features deadly pale, and gathered into an expression of despair.
Chapter 2 of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright [Editor] Mabie holds 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 389 sentences of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright [Editor] Mabie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Famous Stories Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright [Editor] Mabie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3963 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16247 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16247, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 793 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Famous Stories Every Child Should Know section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know 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 Famous Stories Every Child Should Know, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
