Chapter 2 of Our American Cousin is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Our American Cousin is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you. Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute. Aug Yes, so 'cute. Asa Yes, we're 'cute, we are; know soft solder when we see it. Aug [Aside.] Ma, I do believe he's laughing at us.
Chapter 2 of Our American Cousin is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading “Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.”
plural of “american” — a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading “Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.”
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading “Aug Yes, so 'cute.”
large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains
From this reading “Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.”
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading “Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.”
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading “Aug Yes, so 'cute.”
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading “Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.”
join or fuse with solder
From this reading “Asa Yes, we're 'cute, we are; know soft solder when we see it.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.
plural of “american” — a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
on or to one side
From this reading Aug [Aside.] Ma, I do believe he's laughing at us.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Aug [Aside.] Ma, I do believe he's laughing at us.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading Aug Yes, so 'cute.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Aug [Aside.] Ma, I do believe he's laughing at us.
large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading Aug Yes, so 'cute.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Aug [Aside.] Ma, I do believe he's laughing at us.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Aug [Aside.] Ma, I do believe he's laughing at us.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Asa Yes, we're 'cute, we are; know soft solder when we see it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Asa Yes, we're 'cute, we are; know soft solder when we see it.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading Aug [Aside.] Ma, I do believe he's laughing at us.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading Aug [Aside.] Ma, I do believe he's laughing at us.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Mrs M Oh, you Americans are so clever, and so acute.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Asa Yes, we're 'cute, we are; know soft solder when we see it.
join or fuse with solder
From this reading Asa Yes, we're 'cute, we are; know soft solder when we see it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Aug [Aside.] Ma, I do believe he's laughing at us.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Asa Yes, we're 'cute, we are; know soft solder when we see it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Asa Yes, we're 'cute, we are; know soft solder when we see it.
at the time that
From this reading Asa Yes, we're 'cute, we are; know soft solder when we see it.
an affirmative
From this reading Aug Yes, so 'cute.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Asa The first buffalo I see about here I shall hunt up for you.
Chapter 2 of Our American Cousin by Tom Taylor holds 274 sentences, grouped into 55 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 274 sentences of Our American Cousin, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Our American Cousin by Tom Taylor exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 274 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 Our American Cousin by Tom Taylor on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1101 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3158 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3158, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 91 minutes of reading across 221 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Our American Cousin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Our American Cousin 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 Our American Cousin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
