Chapter 2 of Men, Women, and Boats is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Men, Women, and Boats is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Two men sat by the sea waves. "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily. He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane. The companion was watching the waves play. He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
Chapter 2 of Men, Women, and Boats is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
From this reading “He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.”
the state of being tense and feeling pain
From this reading “He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.”
showing or experiencing dissatisfaction or restless longing
From this reading “He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.”
with gloom
From this reading “"Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.”
plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something
From this reading “He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.”
win a victory over
From this reading “He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.”
-ing form of “perspire” — excrete perspiration through the pores in the skin
From this reading “He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.”
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading “He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.”
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 He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
From this reading He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading The companion was watching the waves play.
the state of being tense and feeling pain
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
showing or experiencing dissatisfaction or restless longing
From this reading He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.
with gloom
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.
plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something
From this reading He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
the force of workers available
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
win a victory over
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
-ing form of “perspire” — excrete perspiration through the pores in the skin
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
participate in games or sport
From this reading The companion was watching the waves play.
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.
determined
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading The companion was watching the waves play.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
(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 "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
which person or people
From this reading He seemed overcome with perspiring discomfort as a man who is resolved to set another man right.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was poking holes in the sand with a discontented cane.
Chapter 2 of Men, Women, and Boats by Stephen Crane holds 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 95 sentences of Men, Women, and Boats, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Men, Women, and Boats by Stephen Crane exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Men, Women, and Boats, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
