The Half-Hearted

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Half-Hearted is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By John Buchan • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

It seemed to be his one exclamation.

Now it happened that the two ragamuffins lifted their eyes and saw to their amazement a girl walking on the bank above them, a girl who smiled comrade-like on them and seemed in no way surprised.

They propped themselves on their elbows and stared.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 11/29

The Half-Hearted

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Half-Hearted is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 11/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 51–55

Line 1

If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

Line 2

The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

/ðə ˈeldər bɔɪ huː wɑːz ˈberɪŋ ðə hiːt ənd ˈbɜːrdən ʌv ðə wɜːrk kʊd ˈoʊnli ɡroʊn ˈheðər æt ˈɪntərvəlz/

Line 3

It seemed to be his one exclamation.

/ɪt siːmd tuː biː hɪz wʌn ˌekskləˈmeɪʃən/

Line 4

Now it happened that the two ragamuffins lifted their eyes and saw to their amazement a girl walking on the bank above them, a girl who smiled comrade-like on them and seemed in no way surprised.

Line 5

They propped themselves on their elbows and stared.

/ðeɪ prɑːpt ðemˈselvz ɑːn ðer ˈelboʊz ənd sterd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

biggest adjective US /ˈbɪɡəst/

superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading “If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."”

elbows noun US /ˈelboʊz/

plural of “elbow” — hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped

From this reading “They propped themselves on their elbows and stared.”

grip noun US /ɡrɪp/

the act of grasping

From this reading “If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."”

groan noun US /ɡroʊn/

an utterance expressing pain or disapproval

From this reading “The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.”

Heather noun US /ˈheðər/

common Old World heath represented by many varieties; low evergreen grown widely in the northern hemisphere

From this reading “The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.”

laird noun US /lerd/

a landowner

From this reading “If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."”

propped verb US /prɑːpt/

inflected form of “prop” — support by placing against something solid or rigid

From this reading “They propped themselves on their elbows and stared.”

trout noun US /traʊt/

flesh of any of several primarily freshwater game and food fishes

From this reading “If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Now it happened that the two ragamuffins lifted their eyes and saw to their amazement a girl walking on the bank above them, a girl who smiled comrade-like on them and seemed in no way surprised.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

amazementnounUS /əˈmeɪzmənt/

the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

banknounUS /bæŋk/

sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)

basketnounUS /ˈbæskət/

a container that is usually woven and has handles

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

bearingnounUS /ˈberɪŋ/

relevant relation or interconnection

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

biggestadjectiveUS /ˈbɪɡəst/

superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

burdennounUS /ˈbɜːrdən/

an onerous or difficult concern

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

comrade-like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

elbowsnounUS /ˈelboʊz/

plural of “elbow” — hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped

From this reading They propped themselves on their elbows and stared.

eldernounUS /ˈeldər/

a person who is older than you are

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

exclamationnounUS /ˌekskləˈmeɪʃən/

an abrupt excited utterance

From this reading It seemed to be his one exclamation.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

gripnounUS /ɡrɪp/

the act of grasping

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

groannounUS /ɡroʊn/

an utterance expressing pain or disapproval

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

heatnounUS /hiːt/

a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

HeathernounUS /ˈheðər/

common Old World heath represented by many varieties; low evergreen grown widely in the northern hemisphere

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

intervalsnounUS /ˈɪntərvəlz/

plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It seemed to be his one exclamation.

it'll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

lairdnounUS /lerd/

a landowner

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

liftedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪftəd/

held up in the air

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading It seemed to be his one exclamation.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

proppedverbUS /prɑːpt/

inflected form of “prop” — support by placing against something solid or rigid

From this reading They propped themselves on their elbows and stared.

ragamuffins

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading It seemed to be his one exclamation.

smiledverbUS /smaɪld/

past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

staredverbUS /sterd/

past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes

From this reading They propped themselves on their elbows and stared.

surprisedadjectiveUS /sərˈpraɪzd/

taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading They propped themselves on their elbows and stared.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They propped themselves on their elbows and stared.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It seemed to be his one exclamation.

troutnounUS /traʊt/

flesh of any of several primarily freshwater game and food fishes

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

walkingadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːkɪŋ/

close enough to be walked to

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading If we grip him it'll be the biggest trout that the laird will have in his basket."

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading The elder boy, who was bearing the heat and burden of the work, could only groan "Heather!" at intervals.

Chapter 2 of The Half-Hearted by John Buchan holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Half-Hearted contain?

Chapter 2 holds 145 sentences of The Half-Hearted, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Half-Hearted by John Buchan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The Half-Hearted?

Work through the 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 29 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Half-Hearted

Common questions about reading The Half-Hearted by John Buchan on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Half-Hearted?

Yes. All 5873 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17047 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Half-Hearted is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #17047, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Half-Hearted take to read?

About 489 minutes of reading across 1175 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Half-Hearted

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Half-Hearted, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Afternoon: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Half-Hearted; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Train: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Half-Hearted; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
South: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Half-Hearted; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gledsmuir: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Half-Hearted; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter II · Chapter 2

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