Chapter 2 of Jack's Ward is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Jack's Ward is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother. "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned." "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily. "I don't think I've been drowned." "There's things worse than drowning," replied Rachel, severely.
Chapter 2 of Jack's Ward is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading “"I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.”
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading “"Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."”
-ing form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading “"There's things worse than drowning," replied Rachel, severely.”
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading “THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.”
in a joyous manner
From this reading “"I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.”
-ing form of “predict” — make a prediction about; tell in advance
From this reading “"Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."”
(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin
From this reading “"Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."”
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading “"There's things worse than drowning," replied Rachel, severely.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I don't think I've been drowned."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't think I've been drowned."
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
-ing form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading "There's things worse than drowning," replied Rachel, severely.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't think I've been drowned."
a small worthless amount
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
and nothing more
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
in a joyous manner
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
above and across; more than
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
-ing form of “predict” — make a prediction about; tell in advance
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "There's things worse than drowning," replied Rachel, severely.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading "There's things worse than drowning," replied Rachel, severely.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "There's things worse than drowning," replied Rachel, severely.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There's things worse than drowning," replied Rachel, severely.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "There's things worse than drowning," replied Rachel, severely.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I don't think I've been drowned."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
precisely as stated
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading "There's things worse than drowning," replied Rachel, severely.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Rachel was just predicting that you were run over or drowned."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I hope you're not very much disappointed to see me safe and well, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, merrily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING "I am glad you've come, Jack," said his mother.
Chapter 2 of Jack's Ward by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 121 sentences of Jack's Ward, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Jack's Ward by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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's Ward by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3966 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10729 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10729, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 794 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jack's Ward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Jack's Ward 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's Ward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
