Chapter 2 of Friends and Helpers is here in full — 956 sentences across 192 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Friends and Helpers is here in full — 956 sentences across 192 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OUR FRIENDS THE BIRDS THE CANARY'S STORY. Am I happy? No, not quite happy, though I sing as if I were. Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings? I am willing to say that I am grateful.
Chapter 2 of Friends and Helpers is here in full — 956 sentences across 192 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/191 · 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.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “OUR FRIENDS THE BIRDS THE CANARY'S STORY.”
an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading “Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?”
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading “I am willing to say that I am grateful.”
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading “Am I happy?”
deliver by singing
From this reading “No, not quite happy, though I sing as if I were.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “OUR FRIENDS THE BIRDS THE CANARY'S STORY.”
disposed or inclined toward
From this reading “I am willing to say that I am grateful.”
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading “Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?”
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 Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Am I happy?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading No, not quite happy, though I sing as if I were.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading OUR FRIENDS THE BIRDS THE CANARY'S STORY.
an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OUR FRIENDS THE BIRDS THE CANARY'S STORY.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading OUR FRIENDS THE BIRDS THE CANARY'S STORY.
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading I am willing to say that I am grateful.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Am I happy?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Am I happy?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading No, not quite happy, though I sing as if I were.
engage in
From this reading Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?
not any; not one
From this reading No, not quite happy, though I sing as if I were.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading No, not quite happy, though I sing as if I were.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading OUR FRIENDS THE BIRDS THE CANARY'S STORY.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading No, not quite happy, though I sing as if I were.
express in words
From this reading I am willing to say that I am grateful.
deliver by singing
From this reading No, not quite happy, though I sing as if I were.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading OUR FRIENDS THE BIRDS THE CANARY'S STORY.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OUR FRIENDS THE BIRDS THE CANARY'S STORY.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?
in spite of the fact that
From this reading No, not quite happy, though I sing as if I were.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I am willing to say that I am grateful.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading No, not quite happy, though I sing as if I were.
disposed or inclined toward
From this reading I am willing to say that I am grateful.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do you think that a cage would make you happy if you had wings?
Chapter 2 of Friends and Helpers by Sarah J. (Sarah Jane) [Compiler] Eddy holds 956 sentences, grouped into 192 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 956 sentences of Friends and Helpers, unabridged, divided into 192 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Friends and Helpers by Sarah J. (Sarah Jane) [Compiler] Eddy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 956 sentences, grouped into 192 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 192 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 192 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 Friends and Helpers by Sarah J. (Sarah Jane) [Compiler] Eddy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1945 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5730 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5730, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 162 minutes of reading across 389 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Friends and Helpers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Friends and Helpers 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 Friends and Helpers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
