Chapter 2 of Our Little Japanese Cousin is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Our Little Japanese Cousin is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto. This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond. It looks much like a harp. Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips. Listen!
Chapter 2 of Our Little Japanese Cousin is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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 chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading “It looks much like a harp.”
a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading “This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.”
a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses
From this reading “Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips.”
a native or inhabitant of Japan
From this reading “This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.”
Japanese stringed instrument that resembles a zither; has a rectangular wooden sounding board and usually 13 silk strings that are plucked with the fingers
From this reading “While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.”
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading “This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.”
plural of “strike” — a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions
From this reading “Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips.”
the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instruments
From this reading “Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips.”
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.
any of various devices or contrivances that can be used to produce musical tones or sounds
In this reading “This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.”
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 This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
firmly closed or secured
From this reading Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading It looks much like a harp.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It looks much like a harp.
a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses
From this reading Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips.
a native or inhabitant of Japan
From this reading This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
Japanese stringed instrument that resembles a zither; has a rectangular wooden sounding board and usually 13 silk strings that are plucked with the fingers
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It looks much like a harp.
hear with intention
From this reading Listen!
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading It looks much like a harp.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It looks much like a harp.
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
plural of “strike” — a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions
From this reading Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips.
the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instruments
From this reading Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
precisely as stated
From this reading This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This is a musical instrument of which the Japanese are very fond.
during the time that
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Toyo strikes the strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his finger-tips.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is practising on his koto.
Chapter 2 of Our Little Japanese Cousin by Mary Hazelton Blanchard Wade holds 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 376 sentences of Our Little Japanese Cousin, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Our Little Japanese Cousin by Mary Hazelton Blanchard Wade exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 Little Japanese Cousin by Mary Hazelton Blanchard Wade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 814 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43833 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43833, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 67 minutes of reading across 163 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Our Little Japanese Cousin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Our Little Japanese 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 Little Japanese Cousin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
