Chapter 2 of The Island House: A Tale for the Young Folks is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Island House: A Tale for the Young Folks is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TO THE LABURNUM TREE. "What shall we do now?" It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry. "Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added. "Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.
Chapter 2 of The Island House: A Tale for the Young Folks is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry.”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry.”
a strong line
From this reading “"Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “"Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added.”
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “"Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added.”
neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading “"Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.”
the upper part of anything
From this reading “"Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.”
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading “TO THE LABURNUM TREE.”
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.
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading "Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What shall we do now?"
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry.
flowering shrubs or trees having bright yellow flowers; all parts of the plant are poisonous
From this reading TO THE LABURNUM TREE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading "Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "What shall we do now?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.
a strong line
From this reading "Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "What shall we do now?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading "Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading "Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TO THE LABURNUM TREE.
neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading "Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO THE LABURNUM TREE.
the upper part of anything
From this reading "Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading TO THE LABURNUM TREE.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "What shall we do now?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What shall we do now?"
which person or people
From this reading It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something.
Chapter 2 of The Island House: A Tale for the Young Folks by F. M. (Frederic Morell) Holmes holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 139 sentences of The Island House: A Tale for the Young Folks, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Island House: A Tale for the Young Folks by F. M. (Frederic Morell) Holmes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Island House: A Tale for the Young Folks by F. M. (Frederic Morell) Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 938 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26627 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26627, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 78 minutes of reading across 188 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Island House: A Tale for the Young Folks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Island House: A Tale for the Young Folks 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 Island House: A Tale for the Young Folks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
