Chapter 2 of The Bridge-Builders is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Bridge-Builders is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Accha! [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer. “Heh! Listen to the Chota Sahib. He is working hard.”
Chapter 2 of The Bridge-Builders is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading “[Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “[Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “He is working hard.””
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “[Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.”
hear with intention
From this reading “Listen to the Chota Sahib.”
a place where a craft can be made fast
From this reading “[Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.”
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading “He is working hard.””
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Accha!
react verbally
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Listen to the Chota Sahib.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He is working hard.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is working hard.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Heh!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is working hard.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
hear with intention
From this reading Listen to the Chota Sahib.
a place where a craft can be made fast
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
formerly a term of respect for important white Europeans in colonial India; used after the name
From this reading Listen to the Chota Sahib.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Listen to the Chota Sahib.
precisely as stated
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
in the company of; together with
From this reading [Very good.] I know; we are mooring them with wire-rope,” was the answer.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading He is working hard.”
Chapter 2 of The Bridge-Builders by Rudyard Kipling holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 200 sentences of The Bridge-Builders, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Bridge-Builders by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Bridge-Builders by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 802 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2163 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2163, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 66 minutes of reading across 161 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bridge-Builders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Bridge-Builders 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 Bridge-Builders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
