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The Island of Yellow Sands
The Island of Yellow Sands

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Island of Yellow Sands is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Island of Yellow Sands
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"The daughter of the king of Spain, Row, canoemen, row!
Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen!
Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen."
Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.
The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Island of Yellow Sands

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Island of Yellow Sands is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"The daughter of the king of Spain, Row, canoemen, row!
Line 2
Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen!
Line 3
Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen."
Line 4
Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.
Line 5
The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.
/ðə ˈɪndiən rɪˈmeɪnd ˈsaɪlənt bʌt hɪz ˈpædəl kept taɪm tuː ðə ˈmjuːzɪk/

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.

boy's noun US /bɔɪz/

possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading “Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.”

changing adjective US /ˈtʃeɪndʒɪŋ/

marked by continuous change or effective action

From this reading “Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.”

chorus noun US /ˈkɔːrəs/

any utterance produced simultaneously by a group

From this reading “Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.”

cracked adjective US /krækt/

used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure

From this reading “Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.”

fain adjective US /feɪn/

having made preparations

From this reading “Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen!”

handicraft noun US /ˈhændikræft/

a work produced by hand labor

From this reading “Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen!”

paddle verb US /ˈpædəl/

propel with a paddle

From this reading “The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.”

quavering adjective US /ˈkweɪvərɪŋ/

(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear

From this reading “Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

remained silent verb + adjective counted as “remain silent”

In this reading “The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.”

All words in this reading · 40

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

boy'snounUS /bɔɪz/

possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.

canoemen

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

From this reading "The daughter of the king of Spain, Row, canoemen, row!

changingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃeɪndʒɪŋ/

marked by continuous change or effective action

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

chorusnounUS /ˈkɔːrəs/

any utterance produced simultaneously by a group

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

crackedadjectiveUS /krækt/

used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

daughternounUS /ˈdɔːtər/

a female human offspring

From this reading "The daughter of the king of Spain, Row, canoemen, row!

fainadjectiveUS /feɪn/

having made preparations

From this reading Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen!

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

handicraftnounUS /ˈhændikræft/

a work produced by hand labor

From this reading Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen!

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

IndianadjectiveUS /ˈɪndiən/

of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures

From this reading The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen!

joinedadjectiveUS /dʒɔɪnd/

of or relating to two people who are married to each other

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

keptadjectiveUS /kept/

(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded

From this reading The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.

kingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading "The daughter of the king of Spain, Row, canoemen, row!

learnverbUS /lɜːrn/

gain knowledge or skills

From this reading Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen!

man'snounUS /mænz/

possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

musicnounUS /ˈmjuːzɪk/

an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

From this reading The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "The daughter of the king of Spain, Row, canoemen, row!

paddleverbUS /ˈpædəl/

propel with a paddle

From this reading The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.

quaveringadjectiveUS /ˈkweɪvərɪŋ/

(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.

Ronald

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

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

RownounUS /roʊ/

an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line

From this reading "The daughter of the king of Spain, Row, canoemen, row!

silentadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪlənt/

marked by absence of sound

From this reading The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.

SomeadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen!

somewhatadverbUS /ˈsʌmˈwʌt/

to a small degree or extent

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

SpainnounUS /speɪn/

a parliamentary monarchy in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula; a former colonial power

From this reading "The daughter of the king of Spain, Row, canoemen, row!

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "The daughter of the king of Spain, Row, canoemen, row!

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The Indian remained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen!

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changing from boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering.

Chapter 2 of The Island of Yellow Sands by Ethel C. (Ethel Claire) Brill holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 Island of Yellow Sands contain?

Chapter 2 holds 410 sentences of The Island of Yellow Sands, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Island of Yellow Sands by Ethel C. (Ethel Claire) Brill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 Island of Yellow Sands?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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 Island of Yellow Sands

Common questions about reading The Island of Yellow Sands by Ethel C. (Ethel Claire) Brill on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Island of Yellow Sands?

Yes. All 4045 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46271 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Island of Yellow Sands is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #46271, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Island of Yellow Sands take to read?

About 337 minutes of reading across 809 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Island of Yellow Sands section by section

How to work through The Island of Yellow Sands section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Island of Yellow Sands to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Island of Yellow Sands

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Island of Yellow Sands, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Large
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Island of Yellow Sands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cloth
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Island of Yellow Sands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Illustrated
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Island of Yellow Sands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
White
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Island of Yellow Sands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.