Chapter 2 of Stepsons of Light is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Stepsons of Light is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them. Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee. He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?" "Sure," said Bobby. "Let's drift!
Chapter 2 of Stepsons of Light is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading “"Sure," said Bobby.”
free of trouble and worry and care
From this reading “He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"”
be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading “"Let's drift!”
an earnest and sincere feeling
From this reading “He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"”
informal terms for a meal
From this reading “He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"”
plural of “hale” — a soldier of the American Revolution who was hanged as a spy by the British; his last words were supposed to have been `I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country' (1755-1776)
From this reading “"My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them.”
in a singular manner or to a singular degree
From this reading “He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"”
inflected form of “strap” — tie with a strap
From this reading “Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.”
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 “He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"”
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 Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
in addition
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading "My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them.
any person at all
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them.
endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading "Sure," said Bobby.
free of trouble and worry and care
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading "Let's drift!
an earnest and sincere feeling
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
informal terms for a meal
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
plural of “hale” — a soldier of the American Revolution who was hanged as a spy by the British; his last words were supposed to have been `I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country' (1755-1776)
From this reading "My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading "My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them.
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Let's drift!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
make reference to
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading "My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Sure," said Bobby.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
in a singular manner or to a singular degree
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading "My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them.
inflected form of “strap” — tie with a strap
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Sure," said Bobby.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness: "Anybody mention grub?"
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading Mr. Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was strapped under his knee.
Chapter 2 of Stepsons of Light by Eugene Manlove Rhodes holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 429 sentences of Stepsons of Light, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Stepsons of Light by Eugene Manlove Rhodes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Stepsons of Light by Eugene Manlove Rhodes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4688 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32704 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32704, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 390 minutes of reading across 938 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stepsons of Light section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Stepsons of Light 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 Stepsons of Light, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
