Chapter 2 of The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch. "Has he flown high, Falconer?" asked the King. "No bird has flown so high," said the Falconer. "By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost." "The Eagle is King of the Birds and no one can deny it," said the King.
Chapter 2 of The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
declare untrue; contradict
From this reading “"The Eagle is King of the Birds and no one can deny it," said the King.”
any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight
From this reading “The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.”
a person who breeds and trains hawks and who follows the sport of falconry
From this reading “The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.”
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading “"Has he flown high, Falconer?" asked the King.”
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading “"By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."”
support consisting of a branch or rod that serves as a resting place (especially for a bird)
From this reading “The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.”
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading “"By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."”
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading “"By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."”
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 The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Has he flown high, Falconer?" asked the King.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading "No bird has flown so high," said the Falconer.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading "The Eagle is King of the Birds and no one can deny it," said the King.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "The Eagle is King of the Birds and no one can deny it," said the King.
declare untrue; contradict
From this reading "The Eagle is King of the Birds and no one can deny it," said the King.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.
any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight
From this reading The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.
a person who breeds and trains hawks and who follows the sport of falconry
From this reading "Has he flown high, Falconer?" asked the King.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading "Has he flown high, Falconer?" asked the King.
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading "By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."
destroyed or killed
From this reading "By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Has he flown high, Falconer?" asked the King.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Has he flown high, Falconer?" asked the King.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "Has he flown high, Falconer?" asked the King.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The Eagle is King of the Birds and no one can deny it," said the King.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "The Eagle is King of the Birds and no one can deny it," said the King.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading "Has he flown high, Falconer?" asked the King.
set afire or burning
From this reading The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading "By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."
not any; not one
From this reading "No bird has flown so high," said the Falconer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "The Eagle is King of the Birds and no one can deny it," said the King.
support consisting of a branch or rod that serves as a resting place (especially for a bird)
From this reading The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading "By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No bird has flown so high," said the Falconer.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "No bird has flown so high," said the Falconer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Eagle flew down and lighted on the Falconer's perch.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading "By the rime on his wings he has gone into the line of frost."
Chapter 2 of The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said by Padraic Colum holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said by Padraic Colum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Who Knew What the Birds Said by Padraic Colum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1229 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24493 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24493, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 102 minutes of reading across 246 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said 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 Who Knew What the Birds Said, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
