Chapter 2 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking. “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself. Answer me now, as one gentleman to another. Do ye shoot foxes or do ye not?” And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
Chapter 2 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings
From this reading ““Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.”
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading ““No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.”
the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people
From this reading “And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!”
plural of “fox” — alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading “Do ye shoot foxes or do ye not?””
people of Ireland or of Irish extraction
From this reading “And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!”
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading “And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!”
-ing form of “quake” — shake with fast, tremulous movements
From this reading ““Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.”
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading “Do ye shoot foxes or do ye not?””
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Answer me now, as one gentleman to another.
react verbally
From this reading Answer me now, as one gentleman to another.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Answer me now, as one gentleman to another.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
a large and stately mansion
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
plural of “fox” — alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading Do ye shoot foxes or do ye not?”
a man of refinement
From this reading Answer me now, as one gentleman to another.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
people of Ireland or of Irish extraction
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
immediately past
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Answer me now, as one gentleman to another.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Do ye shoot foxes or do ye not?”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Answer me now, as one gentleman to another.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Answer me now, as one gentleman to another.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Do ye shoot foxes or do ye not?”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
-ing form of “quake” — shake with fast, tremulous movements
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading Do ye shoot foxes or do ye not?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
which person or people
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading “No, sorr, nor do I care if ye belonged to the Castle itself.
a late time of life
From this reading And four years before Stalky and Beetle had carefully kicked McTurk out of his Irish dialect!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Do you know who I am?” he gurgled at last; Stalky and Beetle quaking.
Chapter 2 of Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling holds 238 sentences, grouped into 48 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 238 sentences of Stalky & Co., unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5387 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3006 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3006, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 448 minutes of reading across 1078 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stalky & Co. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Stalky & Co. 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 Stalky & Co., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
