Chapter 2 of The Horse-Stealers and Other Stories is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Horse-Stealers and Other Stories is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open. The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.
Chapter 2 of The Horse-Stealers and Other Stories is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
make calm or still
From this reading “The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.”
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.”
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading “He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.”
the act of departing
From this reading “He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.”
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading “The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.”
fire iron consisting of a metal rod with a handle; used to stir a fire
From this reading “He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.”
past form of “subside” — wear off or die down
From this reading “The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.”
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.”
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 He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
make calm or still
From this reading The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
the act of departing
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.
fire iron consisting of a metal rod with a handle; used to stir a fire
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.
past form of “subside” — wear off or die down
From this reading The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The snow-storm had subsided and it was calm outside.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading He took a poker from the kitchen to keep off the dogs, and went out into the yard, leaving the door open.
Chapter 2 of The Horse-Stealers and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 413 sentences of The Horse-Stealers and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Horse-Stealers and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Horse-Stealers and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5611 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13409 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13409, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 467 minutes of reading across 1123 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Horse-Stealers and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Horse-Stealers and Other Stories 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 Horse-Stealers and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
