Chapter 2 of The Adventures of Reddy Fox is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Adventures of Reddy Fox is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more. Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind. “I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his! I surely would!” he muttered. “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
Chapter 2 of The Adventures of Reddy Fox is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading “Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.”
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading ““I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!”
someone who plays a drum
From this reading ““Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading ““If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!””
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading ““Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.”
paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people)
From this reading ““If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!””
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “I surely would!” he muttered.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading ““I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading “I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
someone who plays a drum
From this reading “Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading “Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people)
From this reading “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
engage in
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading I surely would!” he muttered.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
on one occasion
From this reading “Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading “I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.
cut with a saw
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading “I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!
term of address for a man
From this reading “Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting, and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If he doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “I surely would miss seeing that beautiful red coat of his!
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome,” said Drummer once more.
Chapter 2 of The Adventures of Reddy Fox by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 209 sentences of The Adventures of Reddy Fox, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Adventures of Reddy Fox by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 The Adventures of Reddy Fox by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1037 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1825 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1825, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 86 minutes of reading across 208 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Adventures of Reddy Fox section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Adventures of Reddy Fox 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 The Adventures of Reddy Fox, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
