Chapter 2 of Jack the Young Canoeman is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Jack the Young Canoeman is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VICTORIA, V. I. "Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe? I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand." "To tell you the truth, son, I don't know what he is doing. This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
Chapter 2 of Jack the Young Canoeman is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading “"Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?”
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading “"Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?”
propel with a paddle
From this reading “I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."”
-ing form of “paddle” — propel with a paddle
From this reading “I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."”
plural of “puzzle” — a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution
From this reading “This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.”
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading “This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.”
queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)
From this reading “VICTORIA, V. I.”
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 “This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.”
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 I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading "Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "To tell you the truth, son, I don't know what he is doing.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading VICTORIA, V. I.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading "Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "To tell you the truth, son, I don't know what he is doing.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
propel with a paddle
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
-ing form of “paddle” — propel with a paddle
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
plural of “puzzle” — a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution
From this reading This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
express in words
From this reading "Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
a male human offspring
From this reading "To tell you the truth, son, I don't know what he is doing.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
express in words
From this reading "To tell you the truth, son, I don't know what he is doing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "To tell you the truth, son, I don't know what he is doing.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
a fact that has been verified
From this reading "To tell you the truth, son, I don't know what he is doing.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading VICTORIA, V. I.
queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)
From this reading VICTORIA, V. I.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I thought at first that he was paddling, but he doesn't seem to move, and that doesn't look like a paddle that he has in his hand."
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 This business here on the salt water puzzles me, and everything is strange and queer.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Say, Hugh, what is that Indian doing in that canoe?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "To tell you the truth, son, I don't know what he is doing.
Chapter 2 of Jack the Young Canoeman by George Bird Grinnell holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 158 sentences of Jack the Young Canoeman, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Jack the Young Canoeman by George Bird Grinnell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Jack the Young Canoeman by George Bird Grinnell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3772 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46289 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46289, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 314 minutes of reading across 755 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jack the Young Canoeman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Jack the Young Canoeman 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 Jack the Young Canoeman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
