Chapter 2 of Stories from the Old Attic is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Stories from the Old Attic is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said. "How do you get them all in there?" "The pictures are not in the box," said the traveler. "They are all over in the air around us. This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."
Chapter 2 of Stories from the Old Attic is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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 electrical device that sends or receives radio or television signals
From this reading “This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."”
third-person singular of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."”
plural of “engineer” — a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading “"You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.”
plural of “film” — a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
From this reading “"You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.”
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading “"The pictures are not in the box," said the traveler.”
past form of “store” — keep or lay aside for future use
From this reading “"You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.”
a person who changes location
From this reading “"The pictures are not in the box," said the traveler.”
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading “This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."”
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 "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading "They are all over in the air around us.
(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 "How do you get them all in there?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."
an electrical device that sends or receives radio or television signals
From this reading This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "The pictures are not in the box," said the traveler.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading "They are all over in the air around us.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
third-person singular of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How do you get them all in there?"
plural of “engineer” — a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
plural of “film” — a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "How do you get them all in there?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do you get them all in there?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "The pictures are not in the box," said the traveler.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
above and across; more than
From this reading "They are all over in the air around us.
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading "The pictures are not in the box," said the traveler.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."
past form of “store” — keep or lay aside for future use
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "How do you get them all in there?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading "How do you get them all in there?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They are all over in the air around us.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."
a person who changes location
From this reading "The pictures are not in the box," said the traveler.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "They are all over in the air around us.
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading This antenna brings them in and the set makes them visible."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You certainly have a lot of films stored in that little box," one of the engineers said.
Chapter 2 of Stories from the Old Attic by Robert A. (Robert Alan) Harris holds 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 178 sentences of Stories from the Old Attic, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Stories from the Old Attic by Robert A. (Robert Alan) Harris exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 from the Old Attic by Robert A. (Robert Alan) Harris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1585 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #240 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #240, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 132 minutes of reading across 317 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stories from the Old Attic section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Stories from the Old Attic 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 from the Old Attic, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
