Chapter 2 of Natural History is here in full — 422 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 Natural History is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees." "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets." "What is it that he uses, then?" "He uses the tool which God gave him. It is a bird, boys, which you hear: it is the woodpecker.
Chapter 2 of Natural History is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “It is a bird, boys, which you hear: it is the woodpecker.”
inflected form of “chop” — cut into pieces
From this reading “"Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."”
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading “"Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."”
plural of “hatchet” — weapon consisting of a fighting ax; used by North American Indians
From this reading “"No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."”
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading “"Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."”
an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading “"He uses the tool which God gave him.”
plural of “use” — the act of using
From this reading “"What is it that he uses, then?"”
bird with strong claws and a stiff tail adapted for climbing and a hard chisel-like bill for boring into wood for insects
From this reading “It is a bird, boys, which you hear: it is the woodpecker.”
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.
In this reading “"Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."”
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 "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading It is a bird, boys, which you hear: it is the woodpecker.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
inflected form of “chop” — cut into pieces
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "He uses the tool which God gave him.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "He uses the tool which God gave him.
plural of “hatchet” — weapon consisting of a fighting ax; used by North American Indians
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading It is a bird, boys, which you hear: it is the woodpecker.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "He uses the tool which God gave him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
the force of workers available
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "What is it that he uses, then?"
an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading "He uses the tool which God gave him.
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 "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
the act of using
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
plural of “use” — the act of using
From this reading "What is it that he uses, then?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it that he uses, then?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "He uses the tool which God gave him.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, boys; it is like the sound of a wood-cutter; and it is a wood-cutter, but he does not use one of our hatchets."
bird with strong claws and a stiff tail adapted for climbing and a hard chisel-like bill for boring into wood for insects
From this reading It is a bird, boys, which you hear: it is the woodpecker.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, Uncle Philip; it is the sound of men chopping wood in that clump of trees."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It is a bird, boys, which you hear: it is the woodpecker.
Chapter 2 of Natural History by Francis L. (Francis Lister) Hawks holds 422 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 422 sentences of Natural History, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Natural History by Francis L. (Francis Lister) Hawks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 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 Natural History by Francis L. (Francis Lister) Hawks on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1695 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44377 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44377, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 141 minutes of reading across 339 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Natural History section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Natural History 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 Natural History, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
