Chapter 2 of Just so stories is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Just so stories is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you. They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy. ‘Now watch,’ said the Zebra and the Giraffe. ‘This is the way it’s done. One--two--three!
Chapter 2 of Just so stories 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.
marked with irregularly shaped spots or blots
From this reading “They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.”
tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa
From this reading “They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.”
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading “They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.”
the rays of the sun
From this reading “They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.”
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading “They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.”
look attentively
From this reading “‘Now watch,’ said the Zebra and the Giraffe.”
any of several fleet black-and-white striped African equines
From this reading “‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
marked with irregularly shaped spots or blots
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading ‘This is the way it’s done.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘This is the way it’s done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘This is the way it’s done.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading ‘Now watch,’ said the Zebra and the Giraffe.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One--two--three!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
marked or decorated with stripes
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
the rays of the sun
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
somewhat tall
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading ‘This is the way it’s done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading One--two--three!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading One--two--three!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
look attentively
From this reading ‘Now watch,’ said the Zebra and the Giraffe.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading ‘This is the way it’s done.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
in or at the place that
From this reading They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
any of several fleet black-and-white striped African equines
From this reading ‘Let us up,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.
Chapter 2 of Just so stories by Rudyard Kipling holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 197 sentences of Just so stories, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Just so stories by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the 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 Just so stories by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1575 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2781 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2781, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 131 minutes of reading across 315 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Just so stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Just so stories 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 Just so stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
