Chapter 2 of Ralph on the Engine is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Ralph on the Engine is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE LANDSLIDE "Trouble ahead!" "What's that, Fairbanks?" "And danger. Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck." Ralph Fairbanks spoke with suddenness.
Chapter 2 of Ralph on the Engine is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
at or in the front
From this reading “THE LANDSLIDE "Trouble ahead!"”
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading “"And danger.”
United States film actor; son of Douglas Elton Fairbanks, (1909-2000)
From this reading “"What's that, Fairbanks?"”
an overwhelming electoral victory
From this reading “THE LANDSLIDE "Trouble ahead!"”
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading “Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."”
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading “Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."”
the quality of happening with headlong haste or without warning
From this reading “Ralph Fairbanks spoke with suddenness.”
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading “Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."”
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 Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."
at or in the front
From this reading THE LANDSLIDE "Trouble ahead!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And danger.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading "And danger.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."
United States film actor; son of Douglas Elton Fairbanks, (1909-2000)
From this reading "What's that, Fairbanks?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."
an overwhelming electoral victory
From this reading THE LANDSLIDE "Trouble ahead!"
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph Fairbanks spoke with suddenness.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Ralph Fairbanks spoke with suddenness.
the quality of happening with headlong haste or without warning
From this reading Ralph Fairbanks spoke with suddenness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What's that, Fairbanks?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LANDSLIDE "Trouble ahead!"
a source of difficulty
From this reading THE LANDSLIDE "Trouble ahead!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's that, Fairbanks?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading Ralph Fairbanks spoke with suddenness.
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading Quick! slow down, or we're in for a wreck."
Chapter 2 of Ralph on the Engine by Allen Chapman holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 141 sentences of Ralph on the Engine, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Ralph on the Engine by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Ralph on the Engine by Allen Chapman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3777 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28292 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28292, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 314 minutes of reading across 756 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ralph on the Engine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Ralph on the Engine 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 Ralph on the Engine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
