Chapter 2 of On the Iron at Big Cloud is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of On the Iron at Big Cloud is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Grumpy burst into a guffaw. Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father. “I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely. Regan surveyed his son grimly. “Fixing what?” he demanded.
Chapter 2 of On the Iron at Big Cloud is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading “Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.”
the act of putting something in working order again
From this reading ““Fixing what?” he demanded.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading ““I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely.”
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading “Regan surveyed his son grimly.”
annoyed and irritable
From this reading “Grumpy burst into a guffaw.”
a burst of deep loud hearty laughter
From this reading “Grumpy burst into a guffaw.”
possessive form of “i” — a nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; used especially in medicine and photography and in dyes; occurs naturally only in combination in small quantities (as in sea water or rocks)
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading “Regan surveyed his son grimly.”
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 “Grumpy burst into a guffaw.”
In this reading “Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.”
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 Grumpy burst into a guffaw.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely.
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading Grumpy burst into a guffaw.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “Fixing what?” he demanded.
impotence resulting from a man's inability to have or maintain an erection of his penis
From this reading “I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely.
the act of putting something in working order again
From this reading “Fixing what?” he demanded.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely.
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading Regan surveyed his son grimly.
annoyed and irritable
From this reading Grumpy burst into a guffaw.
a burst of deep loud hearty laughter
From this reading Grumpy burst into a guffaw.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.
possessive form of “i” — a nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; used especially in medicine and photography and in dyes; occurs naturally only in combination in small quantities (as in sea water or rocks)
From this reading “I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Grumpy burst into a guffaw.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Regan surveyed his son grimly.
in a reproving or reproachful manner
From this reading Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.
a male human offspring
From this reading Regan surveyed his son grimly.
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading Regan surveyed his son grimly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I’s been fixin’ the ‘iger-’ed,” he announced gravely.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Bunty blinked at him reprovingly, and turned to his father.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Fixing what?” he demanded.
Chapter 2 of On the Iron at Big Cloud by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 431 sentences of On the Iron at Big Cloud, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of On the Iron at Big Cloud by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 On the Iron at Big Cloud by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5491 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54111 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54111, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 457 minutes of reading across 1099 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On the Iron at Big Cloud section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of On the Iron at Big Cloud 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 On the Iron at Big Cloud, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
