Chapter 2 of The Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE RESOLVE. That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking. "It's not much good trying any more; is it, Raymond?" "Trying what?" "Why, your painting, to be sure."
Chapter 2 of The Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.”
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading “That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.”
start firing a weapon
From this reading “That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.”
make a painting
From this reading “That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.”
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading “"Why, your painting, to be sure."”
bring to an end; settle conclusively
From this reading “THE RESOLVE.”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.”
hard to endure
From this reading “"It's not much good trying any more; is it, Raymond?"”
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 That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "It's not much good trying any more; is it, Raymond?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Why, your painting, to be sure."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
start firing a weapon
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "It's not much good trying any more; is it, Raymond?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It's not much good trying any more; is it, Raymond?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's not much good trying any more; is it, Raymond?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "It's not much good trying any more; is it, Raymond?"
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "It's not much good trying any more; is it, Raymond?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It's not much good trying any more; is it, Raymond?"
make a painting
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading "Why, your painting, to be sure."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
bring to an end; settle conclusively
From this reading THE RESOLVE.
Identical; not different.
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Why, your painting, to be sure."
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RESOLVE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
hard to endure
From this reading "It's not much good trying any more; is it, Raymond?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Trying what?"
at the time that
From this reading That same evening, when it was too dark for Raymond to paint, he and Madge sat by the fire talking.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, your painting, to be sure."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why, your painting, to be sure."
Chapter 2 of The Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young by F. M. S. holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 99 sentences of The Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young by F. M. S. exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young by F. M. S. on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1011 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25478 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25478, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 84 minutes of reading across 203 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young 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 Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
