Chapter 2 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!” Martha pitied. “Never less than a regiment of them at Kilohana.” “Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!” Bella cried out.
Chapter 2 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
completely unclothed
From this reading ““Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!””
brought into existence
From this reading ““You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!””
apprehended with certainty
From this reading ““You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!””
completely unclothed
From this reading ““Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!””
-ing form of “pinch” — squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading ““Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!””
inflected form of “pity” — share the suffering of
From this reading “Martha pitied.”
subject to rigid discipline, order, and systematization
From this reading ““Never less than a regiment of them at Kilohana.””
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading ““You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!””
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 “Never less than a regiment of them at Kilohana.”
any thing at all
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Never less than a regiment of them at Kilohana.”
completely unclothed
From this reading “Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bella cried out.
brought into existence
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Bella cried out.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Never less than a regiment of them at Kilohana.”
apprehended with certainty
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading “Never less than a regiment of them at Kilohana.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Martha pitied.
the quality of being meager
From this reading “Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!”
completely unclothed
From this reading “Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Never less than a regiment of them at Kilohana.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Bella cried out.
-ing form of “pinch” — squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading “Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!”
inflected form of “pity” — share the suffering of
From this reading Martha pitied.
subject to rigid discipline, order, and systematization
From this reading “Never less than a regiment of them at Kilohana.”
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “Never less than a regiment of them at Kilohana.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Never less than a regiment of them at Kilohana.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Oh, but it was the bare, naked, pinching meagreness of it!”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
which person or people
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You who had never known anything but servants from the time you were born!”
Chapter 2 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat by Jack London holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 197 sentences of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3244 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2152 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2152, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 270 minutes of reading across 649 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat 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 Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
