Chapter 2 of The Eternal Boy is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Eternal Boy is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward. Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently. "So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity. "I guess we're ready, too." "Thirty-two pancakes, Conover--and we get 'em free!"
Chapter 2 of The Eternal Boy is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
liveliness and eagerness
From this reading “"So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.”
large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains
From this reading “Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.”
with confidence; in a confident manner
From this reading “Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.”
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.”
extremely hungry
From this reading “Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.”
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading “"So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.”
plural of “pancake” — a flat cake of thin batter fried on both sides on a griddle
From this reading “"Thirty-two pancakes, Conover--and we get 'em free!"”
push forcefully
From this reading “Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.”
In this reading “"So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.”
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 Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.
liveliness and eagerness
From this reading "So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Thirty-two pancakes, Conover--and we get 'em free!"
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading "So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.
large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains
From this reading Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.
with confidence; in a confident manner
From this reading Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.
a quad with a square body
From this reading "Thirty-two pancakes, Conover--and we get 'em free!"
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.
extremely hungry
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading "Thirty-two pancakes, Conover--and we get 'em free!"
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Thirty-two pancakes, Conover--and we get 'em free!"
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "I guess we're ready, too."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I guess we're ready, too."
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading "So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.
plural of “pancake” — a flat cake of thin batter fried on both sides on a griddle
From this reading "Thirty-two pancakes, Conover--and we get 'em free!"
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading "I guess we're ready, too."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
being two more than thirty
From this reading "Thirty-two pancakes, Conover--and we get 'em free!"
push forcefully
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "I guess we're ready, too."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Little Smeed, famished to the point of tears, was thrust forward.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Thirty-two pancakes, Conover--and we get 'em free!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I guess we're ready, too."
which person or people
From this reading Conover, who was expecting something on the lines of a buffalo, smiled confidently.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "So, boys, so," he said, leading the way with alacrity.
Chapter 2 of The Eternal Boy by Owen Johnson holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of The Eternal Boy, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Eternal Boy by Owen Johnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Eternal Boy by Owen Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4065 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46892 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46892, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 338 minutes of reading across 813 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Eternal Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Eternal 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 Eternal Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
