Chapter 2 of The Jack-Knife Man is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Jack-Knife Man is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy. “Oh, you mustn't say that!” said Peter. “You come here and eat these two nice eggs. I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that. When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.
Chapter 2 of The Jack-Knife Man is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading ““Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy.”
oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food
From this reading ““You come here and eat these two nice eggs.”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading ““Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy.”
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading “I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.”
take without the owner's consent
From this reading ““Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy.”
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading “When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.”
accept gladly
From this reading “When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.”
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.
In this reading ““You come here and eat these two nice eggs.”
In this reading “When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “You come here and eat these two nice eggs.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.
a youthful male person
From this reading “Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “You come here and eat these two nice eggs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.
take in solid food
From this reading “You come here and eat these two nice eggs.
oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food
From this reading “You come here and eat these two nice eggs.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “You come here and eat these two nice eggs.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.
a woman of refinement
From this reading I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, you mustn't say that!” said Peter.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “You come here and eat these two nice eggs.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, you mustn't say that!” said Peter.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “Oh, you mustn't say that!” said Peter.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy.
express in words
From this reading “Oh, you mustn't say that!” said Peter.
take without the owner's consent
From this reading “Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Oh, you mustn't say that!” said Peter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “You come here and eat these two nice eggs.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “You come here and eat these two nice eggs.
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.
accept gladly
From this reading When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.
at the time that
From this reading When I have visitors they can steal everything in the boat, and welcome.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “Mama _would_ steal the clock,” said the boy.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Oh, you mustn't say that!” said Peter.
Chapter 2 of The Jack-Knife Man by Ellis Parker Butler holds 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 448 sentences of The Jack-Knife Man, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Jack-Knife Man by Ellis Parker Butler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Jack-Knife Man by Ellis Parker Butler on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3130 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44150 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44150, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 260 minutes of reading across 626 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Jack-Knife Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Jack-Knife Man 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 Jack-Knife Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
