Chapter 2 of The Drummer Boy is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Drummer Boy is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No, sir," answered Frank. "But I thought----" "You thought! What business have you to think?" "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face. "But I can't help thinking sir, for all that."
Chapter 2 of The Drummer Boy is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “"No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.”
-ing form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading “"No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.”
someone who plays a drum
From this reading “"No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.”
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading “"No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “"No, sir," answered Frank.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “"But I can't help thinking sir, for all that."”
expressing or given to expressing the truth
From this reading “"No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.”
unshaken in purpose
From this reading “"No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.”
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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "But I can't help thinking sir, for all that."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "No, sir," answered Frank.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading What business have you to think?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I thought----" "You thought!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But I can't help thinking sir, for all that."
-ing form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
someone who plays a drum
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "But I can't help thinking sir, for all that."
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading "No, sir," answered Frank.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What business have you to think?"
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "But I can't help thinking sir, for all that."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I thought----" "You thought!
not any; not one
From this reading "No, sir," answered Frank.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
by chance
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
term of address for a man
From this reading "No, sir," answered Frank.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But I can't help thinking sir, for all that."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading What business have you to think?"
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "But I can't help thinking sir, for all that."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "But I thought----" "You thought!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What business have you to think?"
expressing or given to expressing the truth
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
unshaken in purpose
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
tanned and coarsened from being outdoors
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What business have you to think?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But I thought----" "You thought!
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "No business, perhaps," Frank admitted, confronting the weather-beaten old drummer with his truthful, undaunted, fine young face.
Chapter 2 of The Drummer Boy by J. T. (John Townsend) Trowbridge holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of The Drummer Boy, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Drummer Boy by J. T. (John Townsend) Trowbridge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Drummer Boy by J. T. (John Townsend) Trowbridge on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19999 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19999, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 357 minutes of reading across 858 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Drummer Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Drummer Boy 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 Drummer Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
