Chapter 2 of Merrimeg is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Merrimeg is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Answer the riddle!” said old Sappy. But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye. “Answer the riddle, and answer it right! Or else,--or else,--off come your shoes, off come your shoes!” “What is the riddle?” cried all the owls.
Chapter 2 of Merrimeg is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading ““Answer the riddle!” said old Sappy.”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading ““What is the riddle?” cried all the owls.”
the organ of sight
From this reading “But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.”
plural of “owl” — nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading ““What is the riddle?” cried all the owls.”
pierce with many holes
From this reading ““Answer the riddle!” said old Sappy.”
a particular situation
From this reading “Or else,--or else,--off come your shoes, off come your shoes!””
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading “But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.”
signal by winking
From this reading “But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.”
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.
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 But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
(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 “What is the riddle?” cried all the owls.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Answer the riddle, and answer it right!
react verbally
From this reading “Answer the riddle!” said old Sappy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Or else,--or else,--off come your shoes, off come your shoes!”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “What is the riddle?” cried all the owls.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Or else,--or else,--off come your shoes, off come your shoes!”
the organ of sight
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is the riddle?” cried all the owls.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Or else,--or else,--off come your shoes, off come your shoes!”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Answer the riddle!” said old Sappy.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or else,--or else,--off come your shoes, off come your shoes!”
plural of “owl” — nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading “What is the riddle?” cried all the owls.
pierce with many holes
From this reading “Answer the riddle!” said old Sappy.
precisely, exactly
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Answer the riddle!” said old Sappy.
abounding in sap
From this reading “Answer the riddle!” said old Sappy.
a particular situation
From this reading Or else,--or else,--off come your shoes, off come your shoes!”
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Answer the riddle!” said old Sappy.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is the riddle?” cried all the owls.
signal by winking
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But as he said it he gave a slow wink with his right eye.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Or else,--or else,--off come your shoes, off come your shoes!”
Chapter 2 of Merrimeg by William Bowen holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 427 sentences of Merrimeg, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Merrimeg by William Bowen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Merrimeg by William Bowen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1738 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59819 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59819, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 144 minutes of reading across 348 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Merrimeg section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Merrimeg 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 Merrimeg, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
