Chapter 2 of The cruise of the Snark is here in full — 320 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The cruise of the Snark is here in full — 320 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe. “Let everything on the _Snark_ be of the best. And never mind decoration. Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me. But put the money into the construction.
Chapter 2 of The cruise of the Snark is here in full — 320 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
(used in the plural) the stage of a theater
From this reading “Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.”
the act of constructing something
From this reading “But put the money into the construction.”
something used to beautify
From this reading “And never mind decoration.”
a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)
From this reading “Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.”
totally unlikely
From this reading “THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.”
abnormally large
From this reading “THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.”
a coniferous tree
From this reading “Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.”
refrain from harming
From this reading “THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.”
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 INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Let everything on the _Snark_ be of the best.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “Let everything on the _Snark_ be of the best.
(used in the plural) the stage of a theater
From this reading Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But put the money into the construction.
the act of constructing something
From this reading But put the money into the construction.
something used to beautify
From this reading And never mind decoration.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading “Let everything on the _Snark_ be of the best.
a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)
From this reading Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
totally unlikely
From this reading THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading But put the money into the construction.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Let everything on the _Snark_ be of the best.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading And never mind decoration.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
abnormally large
From this reading THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading And never mind decoration.
not any; not one
From this reading THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Let everything on the _Snark_ be of the best.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Let everything on the _Snark_ be of the best.
a coniferous tree
From this reading Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading Plain pine boards is good enough finishing for me.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading But put the money into the construction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Let everything on the _Snark_ be of the best.
refrain from harming
From this reading THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE INCONCEIVABLE AND MONSTROUS “Spare no money,” I said to Roscoe.
Chapter 2 of The cruise of the Snark by Jack London holds 320 sentences, grouped into 64 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 320 sentences of The cruise of the Snark, unabridged, divided into 64 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The cruise of the Snark by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 320 sentences, grouped into 64 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 64 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 64 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 cruise of the Snark by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4507 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2512 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2512, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 375 minutes of reading across 902 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The cruise of the Snark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The cruise of the Snark 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 cruise of the Snark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
