Chapter 2 of The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?” The question was a snarl rather than a sentence. “To school, Uncle, of course.” “School’s been out more than an hour. I say, where have you been?”
Chapter 2 of The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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 judgment disposing of the matter without a trial
From this reading “PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?””
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?””
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.”
an educational institution
From this reading ““To school, Uncle, of course.””
possessive form of “school” — an educational institution
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading “The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.”
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading ““To school, Uncle, of course.””
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 The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “School’s been out more than an hour.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?”
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “To school, Uncle, of course.”
a judgment disposing of the matter without a trial
From this reading PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I say, where have you been?”
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?”
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading “School’s been out more than an hour.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I say, where have you been?”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “School’s been out more than an hour.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “To school, Uncle, of course.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “School’s been out more than an hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.
on the contrary
From this reading The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.
express in words
From this reading I say, where have you been?”
an educational institution
From this reading “To school, Uncle, of course.”
possessive form of “school” — an educational institution
From this reading “School’s been out more than an hour.
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “To school, Uncle, of course.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “To school, Uncle, of course.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The question was a snarl rather than a sentence.
in or at the place that
From this reading PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading PHIL HEARS HIS DISMISSAL “Where you been, young man?”
Chapter 2 of The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings by Edgar B. P. Darlington holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 159 sentences of The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings by Edgar B. P. Darlington exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Circus Boys on the Flying Rings by Edgar B. P. Darlington on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4011 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2474 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2474, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 334 minutes of reading across 803 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings 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 Circus Boys on the Flying Rings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
