Chapter 2 of Shaun O'Day of Ireland is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Shaun O'Day of Ireland is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ISN'T IT A GREAT WONDER? The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth. Isn't it a great wonder--the fair green Emerald Isle? And do you know why Ireland is so green? It is because the rain fairies love Ireland.
Chapter 2 of Shaun O'Day of Ireland is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 “babe” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.”
a green transparent form of beryl; highly valued as a gemstone
From this reading “Isn't it a great wonder--the fair green Emerald Isle?”
plural of “fairy” — a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “It is because the rain fairies love Ireland.”
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.”
a republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1921
From this reading “And do you know why Ireland is so green?”
a small island
From this reading “Isn't it a great wonder--the fair green Emerald Isle?”
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading “The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.”
(used informally) very small
From this reading “The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.”
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.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading “The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.”
In this reading “The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.”
In this reading “And do you know why Ireland is so green?”
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 ISN'T IT A GREAT WONDER?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And do you know why Ireland is so green?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
plural of “babe” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
for the reason that
From this reading It is because the rain fairies love Ireland.
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
a young person of either sex
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading And do you know why Ireland is so green?
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
a green transparent form of beryl; highly valued as a gemstone
From this reading Isn't it a great wonder--the fair green Emerald Isle?
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading Isn't it a great wonder--the fair green Emerald Isle?
plural of “fairy” — a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading It is because the rain fairies love Ireland.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
something acquired without compensation
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading ISN'T IT A GREAT WONDER?
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading Isn't it a great wonder--the fair green Emerald Isle?
a republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1921
From this reading And do you know why Ireland is so green?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
a small island
From this reading Isn't it a great wonder--the fair green Emerald Isle?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ISN'T IT A GREAT WONDER?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ISN'T IT A GREAT WONDER?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And do you know why Ireland is so green?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading It is because the rain fairies love Ireland.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading It is because the rain fairies love Ireland.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And do you know why Ireland is so green?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
(used informally) very small
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading ISN'T IT A GREAT WONDER?
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The wee word "why" Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And do you know why Ireland is so green?
Chapter 2 of Shaun O'Day of Ireland by Madeline Brandeis holds 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 123 sentences of Shaun O'Day of Ireland, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Shaun O'Day of Ireland by Madeline Brandeis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Shaun O'Day of Ireland by Madeline Brandeis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1565 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41015 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41015, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 130 minutes of reading across 313 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shaun O'Day of Ireland section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Shaun O'Day of Ireland 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 Shaun O'Day of Ireland, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
