Chapter II of Tad Coon's Tricks, “Tad Coon’s Tricks and His Troubles,” is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter II of Tad Coon's Tricks, “Tad Coon’s Tricks and His Troubles,” is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?” Nibble Rabbit remarked. “We don’t What’s our job, Doctor Muskrat? Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.” “That’s just the point.”
Chapter II of Tad Coon's Tricks, “Tad Coon’s Tricks and His Troubles,” is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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 “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading ““I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?””
the act of consuming food
From this reading “Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.””
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading ““I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?””
the brown fur of a muskrat
From this reading ““We don’t What’s our job, Doctor Muskrat?”
bite off very small pieces
From this reading “Nibble Rabbit remarked.”
any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading “Nibble Rabbit remarked.”
correct by punishment or discipline
From this reading ““I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?””
someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
From this reading “Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.””
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 ““I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?””
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 Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.”
(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 “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.”
plural of “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “We don’t What’s our job, Doctor Muskrat?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We don’t What’s our job, Doctor Muskrat?
oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
the act of consuming food
From this reading Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “We don’t What’s our job, Doctor Muskrat?
and nothing more
From this reading “That’s just the point.”
a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
the brown fur of a muskrat
From this reading “We don’t What’s our job, Doctor Muskrat?
bite off very small pieces
From this reading Nibble Rabbit remarked.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “We don’t What’s our job, Doctor Muskrat?
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading “That’s just the point.”
any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading Nibble Rabbit remarked.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading Nibble Rabbit remarked.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.”
correct by punishment or discipline
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s just the point.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
From this reading Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We don’t What’s our job, Doctor Muskrat?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We don’t What’s our job, Doctor Muskrat?
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “I wonder why all the Tame Beasts have work to do or milk to give or eggs or whatever it happens to be?”
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading Trailer says a Beast without a job isn’t worth feeding.”
Chapter 2 of Tad Coon's Tricks by John Breck holds 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 113 sentences of Tad Coon's Tricks, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Tad Coon's Tricks by John Breck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 Tad Coon's Tricks by John Breck on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1286 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64216 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64216, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 107 minutes of reading across 258 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tad Coon's Tricks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Tad Coon's Tricks 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 Tad Coon's Tricks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
