Chapter 2 of Hoofbeats on the Turnpike 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 Hoofbeats on the Turnpike is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Who is J. Burmaster?" Penny inquired eagerly. "Who is he?" The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire. "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
Chapter 2 of Hoofbeats on the Turnpike 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.
a group of people living in a particular local area
From this reading “"He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “Penny inquired eagerly.”
possessive form of “editor” — a person responsible for the editorial aspects of publication; the person who determines the final content of a text (especially of a newspaper or magazine)
From this reading “The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.”
characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance
From this reading “"He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."”
plural of “flash” — a sudden intense burst of radiant energy
From this reading “The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.”
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading “"He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “Penny inquired eagerly.”
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading “"He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."”
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 “The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.”
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 "Who is J. Burmaster?"
a group of people living in a particular local area
From this reading "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading Penny inquired eagerly.
possessive form of “editor” — a person responsible for the editorial aspects of publication; the person who determines the final content of a text (especially of a newspaper or magazine)
From this reading The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.
characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance
From this reading "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
opinion or judgment
From this reading The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.
plural of “flash” — a sudden intense burst of radiant energy
From this reading The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.
of blue tinged with grey
From this reading The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Who is he?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading Penny inquired eagerly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Who is J. Burmaster?"
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading "Who is J. Burmaster?"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading Penny inquired eagerly.
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The editor's gray-blue eyes sent out little flashes of fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "He's the most egotistical, thick-headed, muddle-brained property owner in this community."
which person or people
From this reading "Who is J. Burmaster?"
Chapter 2 of Hoofbeats on the Turnpike by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Hoofbeats on the Turnpike, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Hoofbeats on the Turnpike by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the 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 Hoofbeats on the Turnpike by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4142 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34691 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34691, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 345 minutes of reading across 829 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hoofbeats on the Turnpike section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Hoofbeats on the Turnpike 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 Hoofbeats on the Turnpike, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
