Chapter 2 of Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned. "Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily. "Hang it all, man, don't be a fool! Don't go and make things worse for me. I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
Chapter 2 of Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
English chemist who was a pioneer in electrochemistry and who used it to isolate elements sodium and potassium and barium and boron and calcium and magnesium and chlorine (1778-1829)
From this reading “"Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily.”
plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness
From this reading “I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.”
of the highest quality
From this reading “I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.”
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “"Hang it all, man, don't be a fool!”
with gloom
From this reading “"Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily.”
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned.”
be suspended or hanging
From this reading “"Hang it all, man, don't be a fool!”
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading “JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned.”
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.
In this reading “I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.”
In this reading “JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned.”
In this reading “Don't go and make things worse for me.”
In this reading “I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.”
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 "Hang it all, man, don't be a fool!
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Don't go and make things worse for me.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Hang it all, man, don't be a fool!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
English chemist who was a pioneer in electrochemistry and who used it to isolate elements sodium and potassium and barium and boron and calcium and magnesium and chlorine (1778-1829)
From this reading "Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hang it all, man, don't be a fool!
at any time
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
a boy or man
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
of the highest quality
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading "Hang it all, man, don't be a fool!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Don't go and make things worse for me.
with gloom
From this reading "Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Don't go and make things worse for me.
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned.
be suspended or hanging
From this reading "Hang it all, man, don't be a fool!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Hang it all, man, don't be a fool!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned.
and nothing more
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
engage in
From this reading Don't go and make things worse for me.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Hang it all, man, don't be a fool!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Don't go and make things worse for me.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned.
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading JIM HARLEY TELLS AN OLD STORY Jim Harley groaned.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Don't go and make things worse for me.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading Don't go and make things worse for me.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading "Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Davy, you are all wrong," he said gloomily.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading I don't know just how Nell feels for you, but I like you first-rate--pretty near as well as any young fellow I've ever met.
Chapter 2 of Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery by Theodore Goodridge Roberts holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 215 sentences of Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery by Theodore Goodridge Roberts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery by Theodore Goodridge Roberts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5088 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41122 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41122, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 424 minutes of reading across 1018 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery 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 Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
