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Marching Sands
Marching Sands

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Marching Sands is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Harold Lamb • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Marching Sands
Context Illustration Reading 1/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.
One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.
A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.
And a European orientologist.
To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Marching Sands

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Marching Sands is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.
Line 2
One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.
/wʌn wɑːz ə ˈseləbreɪtɪd ˌænθrəˈpɑːlədʒəst əˈnʌðər ə hɪˈstɔːriən huː hæd kʌm ðæt deɪ frʌm ˈwɑːʃɪŋtən/
Line 3
A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.
/ə ˌfɪnənˈsɪr huːz neɪm ˈfɪɡjərd ɪn ðə ˈnuːzpeɪpərz wɑːz ə θɜːrd/
Line 4
And a European orientologist.
Line 5
To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

Learner Dictionary

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.

anthropologist noun US /ˌænθrəˈpɑːlədʒəst/

a social scientist who specializes in anthropology

From this reading “One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
European noun US /ˌjʊrəˈpiːən/

a native or inhabitant of Europe

From this reading “And a European orientologist.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
explaining verb US /ɪkˈspleɪnɪŋ/

-ing form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible

From this reading “To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Exploration noun US /ˌeksplərˈeɪʃən/

to travel for the purpose of discovery

From this reading “LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
figured adjective US /ˈfɪɡjərd/

(of e.g. fabric design) adorned with patterns

From this reading “A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
financier noun US /ˌfɪnənˈsɪr/

a person skilled in large scale financial transactions

From this reading “A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
historian noun US /hɪˈstɔːriən/

a person who is an authority on history and who studies it and writes about it

From this reading “One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
legends noun US /ˈledʒəndz/

plural of “legend” — a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events

From this reading “LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

private office adjective + noun

In this reading “LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.”

2,081 times in 426,211 chapters
explaining briefly verb + particle counted as “explain briefly”

In this reading “To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.”

241 times in 426,211 chapters
few men adjective + noun

In this reading “LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.”

5,026 times in 426,211 chapters
in the newspapers preposition + article + noun counted as “in … newspaper”

In this reading “A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.”

4,244 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 52

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AmericannounUS /əˈmerəkən/

a native or inhabitant of the United States

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And a European orientologist.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anthropologistnounUS /ˌænθrəˈpɑːlədʒəst/

a social scientist who specializes in anthropology

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
brieflyadverbUS /ˈbriːfli/

for a short time

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
buildingnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋ/

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
celebratedadjectiveUS /ˈseləbreɪtɪd/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EuropeannounUS /ˌjʊrəˈpiːən/

a native or inhabitant of Europe

From this reading And a European orientologist.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
explainingverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪnɪŋ/

-ing form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ExplorationnounUS /ˌeksplərˈeɪʃən/

to travel for the purpose of discovery

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
figuredadjectiveUS /ˈfɪɡjərd/

(of e.g. fabric design) adorned with patterns

From this reading A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
financiernounUS /ˌfɪnənˈsɪr/

a person skilled in large scale financial transactions

From this reading A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
gatheredadjectiveUS /ˈɡæðərd/

brought together in one place

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GraynounUS /ɡreɪ/

a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
historiannounUS /hɪˈstɔːriən/

a person who is an authority on history and who studies it and writes about it

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
interviewverbUS /ˈɪntərvjuː/

conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
introducedverbUS /ˌɪntrəˈduːst/

past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LEGENDSnounUS /ˈledʒəndz/

plural of “legend” — a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
newspapersnounUS /ˈnuːzpeɪpərz/

plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements

From this reading A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
orientologist

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And a European orientologist.

Pending verification
passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
privateadjectiveUS /ˈpraɪvət/

confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Schaick

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

Pending verification
Schaick's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

Pending verification
SocietynounUS /səˈsaɪəti/

an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thirdnounUS /θɜːrd/

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ToparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
VannounUS /væn/

any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WashingtonnounUS /ˈwɑːʃɪŋtən/

the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading LEGENDS That evening a few men were gathered in Van Schaick's private office at the building of the American Exploration Society.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading To these men, Van Schaick introduced Gray, explaining briefly what had passed in their interview.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading One was a celebrated anthropologist, another a historian who had come that day from Washington.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading A financier whose name figured in the newspapers was a third.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 2 of Marching Sands by Harold Lamb holds 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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.

What does chapter 2 of Marching Sands contain?

Chapter 2 holds 126 sentences of Marching Sands, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Marching Sands by Harold Lamb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of Marching Sands?

Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 26 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Marching Sands

Common questions about reading Marching Sands by Harold Lamb on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Marching Sands?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Marching Sands is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Marching Sands take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Marching Sands section by section

How to work through Marching Sands section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of Marching Sands to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Marching Sands

Words and structures a reader meets early in Marching Sands, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Marching Sands, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Marching Sands, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Marching Sands, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.