Chapter 2 of Old Peter's Russian Tales is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Old Peter's Russian Tales is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And what happened to Sadko?" asked Maroosia. "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff. Then he went on. Sadko dropped into the waves, and the waves closed over him. Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.
Chapter 2 of Old Peter's Russian Tales is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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 small smooth rounded rock
From this reading “Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.”
wild and domesticated birds having a heavy body and short legs
From this reading “"You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.”
squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading “"You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.”
an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading “Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.”
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading “Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.”
the charred portion of a candlewick
From this reading “"You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.”
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading “Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.”
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 “Sadko dropped into the waves, and the waves closed over him.”
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 "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And what happened to Sadko?" asked Maroosia.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "And what happened to Sadko?" asked Maroosia.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Sadko dropped into the waves, and the waves closed over him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Sadko dropped into the waves, and the waves closed over him.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "And what happened to Sadko?" asked Maroosia.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Sadko dropped into the waves, and the waves closed over him.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Sadko dropped into the waves, and the waves closed over him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And what happened to Sadko?" asked Maroosia.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then he went on.
above and across; more than
From this reading Sadko dropped into the waves, and the waves closed over him.
a small smooth rounded rock
From this reading Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
wild and domesticated birds having a heavy body and short legs
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And what happened to Sadko?" asked Maroosia.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
the charred portion of a candlewick
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sadko dropped into the waves, and the waves closed over him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he went on.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading Down he sank, like a pebble thrown into a pool, down and down.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And what happened to Sadko?" asked Maroosia.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
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 Sadko dropped into the waves, and the waves closed over him.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then he went on.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "And what happened to Sadko?" asked Maroosia.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You shall hear, little pigeon," said old Peter, and he took a pinch of snuff.
Chapter 2 of Old Peter's Russian Tales by Arthur Ransome holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 440 sentences of Old Peter's Russian Tales, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Old Peter's Russian Tales by Arthur Ransome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Old Peter's Russian Tales by Arthur Ransome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3961 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16981 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16981, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 793 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Peter's Russian Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Old Peter's Russian Tales 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 Old Peter's Russian Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
