Chapter 2 of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water. 5. When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish. 6. These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.
Chapter 2 of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading “When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.”
for the most part
From this reading “These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.”
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading “When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.”
plural of “dam” — a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading “These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.”
selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas
From this reading “32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.”
water soaked soil; soft wet earth
From this reading “These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.”
like better; value more highly
From this reading “32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.”
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading “32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 5.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 6.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
for the most part
From this reading These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
plural of “dam” — a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
conformity or harmony
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.
engage in
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
in motion
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
water soaked soil; soft wet earth
From this reading These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
like better; value more highly
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
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 These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
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 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.
at the time that
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.
Chapter 2 of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2723 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14766 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14766, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 226 minutes of reading across 545 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader 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 McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
