Chapter 2 of The Cricket is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Cricket is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed. "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock." "I've got to go to town." "Town, this hot day?" "Yes.
Chapter 2 of The Cricket is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
only a very short time before
From this reading “"Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."”
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “"Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."”
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading “"Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading “"Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."”
according to the clock
From this reading “"Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “"Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."”
a silly and inept person; someone who is regarded as stupid
From this reading “"Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."”
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."
only a very short time before
From this reading "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Town, this hot day?"
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I've got to go to town."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I've got to go to town."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading "Town, this hot day?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've got to go to town."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."
according to the clock
From this reading "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Town, this hot day?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I've got to go to town."
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading "I've got to go to town."
a silly and inept person; someone who is regarded as stupid
From this reading "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
in or at the place that
From this reading The next morning he bustled into Mrs. Bryce's room, where she was taking her breakfast in bed.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mercy, Wally, are you sick?" she inquired; "it's barely nine o'clock."
Chapter 2 of The Cricket by Marjorie Benton Cooke holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Cricket, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Cricket by Marjorie Benton Cooke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Cricket by Marjorie Benton Cooke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5759 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25081 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25081, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 479 minutes of reading across 1152 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cricket section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Cricket 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 Cricket, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
