Chapter 2 of The Boy Land Boomer is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Boy Land Boomer is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DICK ON A RUNAWAY. "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!" Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern. "Gosh! I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.
Chapter 2 of The Boy Land Boomer is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)
From this reading “Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.”
a short vivid experience
From this reading “Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.”
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading “Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.”
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading “Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.”
cut or make a way through
From this reading “Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.”
a coarse vine widely cultivated for its large pulpy round orange fruit with firm orange skin and numerous seeds; subspecies of Cucurbita pepo include the summer squashes and a few autumn squashes
From this reading “I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.”
an easy victory
From this reading “DICK ON A RUNAWAY.”
marked by or emitting or filled with smoke
From this reading “Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.”
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 DICK ON A RUNAWAY.
a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
(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 "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!"
someone who is a detective
From this reading DICK ON A RUNAWAY.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!"
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!"
a short vivid experience
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Gosh!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "If he fell down here he is dead beyond all doubt!"
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading DICK ON A RUNAWAY.
cut or make a way through
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
a coarse vine widely cultivated for its large pulpy round orange fruit with firm orange skin and numerous seeds; subspecies of Cucurbita pepo include the summer squashes and a few autumn squashes
From this reading I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.
precisely, exactly
From this reading I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.
an easy victory
From this reading DICK ON A RUNAWAY.
marked by or emitting or filled with smoke
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Such were Dick Arbuckle's words as he tried in vain to pierce the gloom of the abyss by flashing around the smoky lantern.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I reckon you're right," answered Pumpkin in an awe-struck whisper.
Chapter 2 of The Boy Land Boomer by Edward Stratemeyer holds 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 136 sentences of The Boy Land Boomer, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Boy Land Boomer by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Land Boomer by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3316 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20618 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20618, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 276 minutes of reading across 664 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Land Boomer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Boy Land Boomer 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 Land Boomer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
