Chapter 2 of Once Upon a Time in Delaware is here in full — 502 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Once Upon a Time in Delaware is here in full — 502 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out. There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue. Their bayonets glittered in the sunlight. Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house. Mrs. Byrnes slipped from bed and came over to look from the window, too.
Chapter 2 of Once Upon a Time in Delaware is here in full — 502 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 92/100 · 5 reading units · Lines 456–460
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.
plural of “bayonet” — a knife that can be fixed to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon
From this reading “Their bayonets glittered in the sunlight.”
an ardent follower and admirer
From this reading “There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.”
a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
From this reading “Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.”
plural of “company” — an institution created to conduct business
From this reading “There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.”
past form of “glitter” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading “Their bayonets glittered in the sunlight.”
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading “Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.”
the rays of the sun
From this reading “Their bayonets glittered in the sunlight.”
the process of the sweat glands of the skin secreting a salty fluid
From this reading “Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.”
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.
at or in the front
In this reading “Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.”
In this reading “There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.”
In this reading “He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.”
In this reading “Mrs. Byrnes slipped from bed and came over to look from the window, too.”
be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful
In this reading “He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.”
communicate the intended meaning or impression
In this reading “Mrs. Byrnes slipped from bed and came over to look from the window, too.”
In this reading “Their bayonets glittered in the sunlight.”
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 He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
plural of “bayonet” — a knife that can be fixed to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon
From this reading Their bayonets glittered in the sunlight.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
an ardent follower and admirer
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Byrnes slipped from bed and came over to look from the window, too.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Mrs. Byrnes slipped from bed and came over to look from the window, too.
a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
From this reading Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.
plural of “company” — an institution created to conduct business
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
placed crosswise
From this reading He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.
past form of “glitter” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading Their bayonets glittered in the sunlight.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mrs. Byrnes slipped from bed and came over to look from the window, too.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Byrnes slipped from bed and came over to look from the window, too.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
above and across; more than
From this reading Mrs. Byrnes slipped from bed and came over to look from the window, too.
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.
cut with a saw
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
an elevated geological formation
From this reading Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
the rays of the sun
From this reading Their bayonets glittered in the sunlight.
the process of the sweat glands of the skin secreting a salty fluid
From this reading Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their bayonets glittered in the sunlight.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There below, he saw long lines and companies of soldiers in buff and blue.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Mrs. Byrnes slipped from bed and came over to look from the window, too.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Sweating horses were pulling cannon up the slope in front of the house.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading He slipped from bed and crossed to the window and looked out.
Chapter 2 of Once Upon a Time in Delaware by Katharine Pyle holds 502 sentences, grouped into 101 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 502 sentences of Once Upon a Time in Delaware, unabridged, divided into 101 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Once Upon a Time in Delaware by Katharine Pyle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 502 sentences, grouped into 101 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 101 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 101 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 Once Upon a Time in Delaware by Katharine Pyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1502 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48976 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48976, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 125 minutes of reading across 301 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Once Upon a Time in Delaware section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Once Upon a Time in Delaware 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 Once Upon a Time in Delaware, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
