Chapter 2 of Sea Legs is here in full — 463 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Sea Legs is here in full — 463 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Craig looked them over quickly. "I guess so. Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all. Maybe you could go with me to have dinner. It must be almost dinnertime now.
Chapter 2 of Sea Legs is here in full — 463 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “It must be almost dinnertime now.”
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading “Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.”
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.”
the customary or habitual hour for the evening meal
From this reading “It must be almost dinnertime now.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"I guess so.”
by chance
From this reading “Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.”
with speed
From this reading “Craig looked them over quickly.”
showing curiosity
From this reading “Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.”
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.
be present or associated with an event or entity
In this reading “Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.”
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.
(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 Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It must be almost dinnertime now.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It must be almost dinnertime now.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Craig looked them over quickly.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.
the customary or habitual hour for the evening meal
From this reading It must be almost dinnertime now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "I guess so.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I guess so.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It must be almost dinnertime now.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Craig looked them over quickly.
by chance
From this reading Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must be almost dinnertime now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It must be almost dinnertime now.
above and across; more than
From this reading Craig looked them over quickly.
with speed
From this reading Craig looked them over quickly.
express in words
From this reading Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I guess so.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Craig looked them over quickly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.
showing curiosity
From this reading Say, Miss Wendel, I was wondering--I don't know the city at all.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Maybe you could go with me to have dinner.
Chapter 2 of Sea Legs by Frank Quattrocchi holds 463 sentences, grouped into 93 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 463 sentences of Sea Legs, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Sea Legs by Frank Quattrocchi exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 463 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 Sea Legs by Frank Quattrocchi on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1421 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51407 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51407, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 118 minutes of reading across 285 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sea Legs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Sea Legs 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 Sea Legs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
