Chapter 2 of The Calico Cat is here in full — 503 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Calico Cat is here in full — 503 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Sh!" hissed Solomon. "Ed'ards might hear ye. 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank." "Humph!" exclaimed Mrs. Peaslee. "Well," she added, "you go to the hearin'.
Chapter 2 of The Calico Cat is here in full — 503 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/100 · 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 record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."”
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “"Well," she added, "you go to the hearin'.”
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading “'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “"Humph!" exclaimed Mrs. Peaslee.”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “"Ed'ards might hear ye.”
past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading “"Sh!" hissed Solomon.”
be the source of pain
From this reading “'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."”
A legendary king renowned for his wisdom and fabulous hidden mines.
From this reading “"Sh!" hissed Solomon.”
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.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading "Well," she added, "you go to the hearin'.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ed'ards might hear ye.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Humph!" exclaimed Mrs. Peaslee.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Well," she added, "you go to the hearin'.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Ed'ards might hear ye.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well," she added, "you go to the hearin'.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading "Sh!" hissed Solomon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Humph!" exclaimed Mrs. Peaslee.
be the source of pain
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Ed'ards might hear ye.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Humph!" exclaimed Mrs. Peaslee.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Humph!" exclaimed Mrs. Peaslee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sh!" hissed Solomon.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well," she added, "you go to the hearin'.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
A legendary king renowned for his wisdom and fabulous hidden mines.
From this reading "Sh!" hissed Solomon.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
carry out
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well," she added, "you go to the hearin'.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well," she added, "you go to the hearin'.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading 'T would hurt us if he should take his account out of the bank."
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading "Ed'ards might hear ye.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well," she added, "you go to the hearin'.
Chapter 2 of The Calico Cat by Charles Miner Thompson holds 503 sentences, grouped into 101 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 503 sentences of The Calico Cat, unabridged, divided into 101 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Calico Cat by Charles Miner Thompson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 503 sentences, grouped into 101 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 101 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 101 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 Calico Cat by Charles Miner Thompson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1502 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20010 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20010, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 125 minutes of reading across 301 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Calico Cat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Calico Cat 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 Calico Cat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
