Chapter 2 of The Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Aye—it’s good to forget—when you can. But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether. You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well. And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing. And in passing I want to say that I am very sorry.
Chapter 2 of The Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.”
one or the other of two
From this reading “And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.”
apart from; not including
From this reading “And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.”
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “"Aye—it’s good to forget—when you can.”
make reference to
From this reading “And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.”
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading “And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.”
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “And in passing I want to say that I am very sorry.”
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading “But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.”
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.
to consider or examine in speech or writing
In this reading “And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.”
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 But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading And in passing I want to say that I am very sorry.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aye—it’s good to forget—when you can.
a youthful male person
From this reading You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Aye—it’s good to forget—when you can.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.
one or the other of two
From this reading And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.
apart from; not including
From this reading And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading "Aye—it’s good to forget—when you can.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Aye—it’s good to forget—when you can.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aye—it’s good to forget—when you can.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.
make reference to
From this reading And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.
express in words
From this reading And in passing I want to say that I am very sorry.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading And in passing I want to say that I am very sorry.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading But there are times when a man can’t forget—not altogether.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Aye—it’s good to forget—when you can.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well.
precisely as stated
From this reading And in passing I want to say that I am very sorry.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading And in passing I want to say that I am very sorry.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading You and I know that, my boy—we know it too well.
at the time that
From this reading "Aye—it’s good to forget—when you can.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And we won’t talk about it either—except to mention it in passing.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Aye—it’s good to forget—when you can.
Chapter 2 of The Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel by Douglas Durkin holds 420 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 420 sentences of The Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel by Douglas Durkin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 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 Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel by Douglas Durkin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3788 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52437 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52437, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 315 minutes of reading across 758 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel 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 Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
