Chapter 2 of Stories by American Authors, Volume 8 is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Stories by American Authors, Volume 8 is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Are they firing toward our left?" asked Waldron. "Not a shot." "Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment. "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction! By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
Chapter 2 of Stories by American Authors, Volume 8 is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
happiness with one's situation in life
From this reading “"Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.”
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading “"If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!”
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading “By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.”
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading “"Are they firing toward our left?" asked Waldron.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.”
held or filled or in use
From this reading “"If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!”
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “"Not a shot."”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “"Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.”
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 “By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.”
assume a reclining position
In this reading “By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.”
introducing a different topic
In this reading “By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.”
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 "Not a shot."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are they firing toward our left?" asked Waldron.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Are they firing toward our left?" asked Waldron.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!
a person who is in charge
From this reading "Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.
happiness with one's situation in life
From this reading "Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading "Are they firing toward our left?" asked Waldron.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "Are they firing toward our left?" asked Waldron.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
the force of workers available
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not a shot."
held or filled or in use
From this reading "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.
and nothing more
From this reading "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Are they firing toward our left?" asked Waldron.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading "Not a shot."
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading "Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Are they firing toward our left?" asked Waldron.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!
in the direction of
From this reading "Are they firing toward our left?" asked Waldron.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Are they firing toward our left?" asked Waldron.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "If we can only keep them occupied in this direction!
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Very good," said the chief, with a sigh of contentment.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading By the way, let your men lie down under the fallen tree, as far as it will go.
Chapter 2 of Stories by American Authors, Volume 8 by Various holds 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 449 sentences of Stories by American Authors, Volume 8, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Stories by American Authors, Volume 8 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Stories by American Authors, Volume 8 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3106 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31146 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31146, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 622 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stories by American Authors, Volume 8 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Stories by American Authors, Volume 8 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 Stories by American Authors, Volume 8, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
