Chapter 2 of Nat the Naturalist is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Nat the Naturalist is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work. "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day." "Have you, Nat, my boy?" he said. "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better." "That's what I've been hoping, my boy," he said, "for you did try very hard."
Chapter 2 of Nat the Naturalist is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 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.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading “"It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “"That's what I've been hoping, my boy," he said, "for you did try very hard."”
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading “"Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."”
provoking horror
From this reading “"It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."”
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading “"Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “"Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “"That's what I've been hoping, my boy," he said, "for you did try very hard."”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “"Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."
a youthful male person
From this reading "Have you, Nat, my boy?" he said.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "That's what I've been hoping, my boy," he said, "for you did try very hard."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "That's what I've been hoping, my boy," he said, "for you did try very hard."
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "That's what I've been hoping, my boy," he said, "for you did try very hard."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you, Nat, my boy?" he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Have you, Nat, my boy?" he said.
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."
provoking horror
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Have you, Nat, my boy?" he said.
not any; not one
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Have you, Nat, my boy?" he said.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's what I've been hoping, my boy," he said, "for you did try very hard."
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "That's what I've been hoping, my boy," he said, "for you did try very hard."
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
precisely as stated
From this reading "That's what I've been hoping, my boy," he said, "for you did try very hard."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was horrible, and I've been more ashamed of it every day."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "That's what I've been hoping, my boy," he said, "for you did try very hard."
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "Oh, no, Uncle Joe," I cried, looking down at my work.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."
an affirmative
From this reading "Oh, yes, uncle, but I kept on hoping that--that somehow--somehow it would come better."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you, Nat, my boy?" he said.
Chapter 2 of Nat the Naturalist by George Manville Fenn holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of Nat the Naturalist, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Nat the Naturalist by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Nat the Naturalist by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3516 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21356 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21356, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 293 minutes of reading across 704 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nat the Naturalist section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Nat the Naturalist 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 Nat the Naturalist, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
