Chapter 2 of Poppy's Presents is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Poppy's Presents is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
POPPY'S WORK. Poppy's work soon began in good earnest. Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies. She liked her work very much at first. Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
Chapter 2 of Poppy's Presents is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
plural of “baby” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.”
plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading “Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.”
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading “Poppy's work soon began in good earnest.”
annual or biennial or perennial herbs having showy flowers
From this reading “POPPY'S WORK.”
possessive form of “poppy” — annual or biennial or perennial herbs having showy flowers
From this reading “POPPY'S WORK.”
do one's shopping
From this reading “Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.”
cover with wax
From this reading “Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.”
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading “Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.”
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 Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She liked her work very much at first.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
plural of “baby” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Poppy's work soon began in good earnest.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading Poppy's work soon began in good earnest.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading She liked her work very much at first.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Poppy's work soon began in good earnest.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Poppy's work soon began in good earnest.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading She liked her work very much at first.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading She liked her work very much at first.
not any; not one
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
annual or biennial or perennial herbs having showy flowers
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
possessive form of “poppy” — annual or biennial or perennial herbs having showy flowers
From this reading POPPY'S WORK.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
do one's shopping
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
in the near future
From this reading Poppy's work soon began in good earnest.
carry out
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
precisely as stated
From this reading She liked her work very much at first.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
cover with wax
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading Her mother had to go out to work, and whilst she was away there was no one but Poppy to take care of the babies.
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 Their eyes were as blue as those of the wax dolls in the shop window, and their hair was quite as pretty.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading POPPY'S WORK.
Chapter 2 of Poppy's Presents by O. F., Mrs. Walton holds 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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 72 sentences of Poppy's Presents, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Poppy's Presents by O. F., Mrs. Walton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 Poppy's Presents by O. F., Mrs. Walton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 890 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29153 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29153, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 74 minutes of reading across 178 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poppy's Presents section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Poppy's Presents 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 Poppy's Presents, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
