Chapter 2 of The Joyous Story of Toto is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Joyous Story of Toto is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.” “Some friends, Toto!” exclaimed his grandmother in astonishment. “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny? You are laughing at me.” “No, I am not, Granny,” said the boy.
Chapter 2 of The Joyous Story of Toto is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading ““GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.””
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading ““Some friends, Toto!” exclaimed his grandmother in astonishment.”
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading ““GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.””
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading ““Some friends, Toto!” exclaimed his grandmother in astonishment.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading ““GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.””
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “You are laughing at me.””
make longer
From this reading ““GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.””
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading ““GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.””
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 ““GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.””
In this reading ““My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?”
In this reading ““My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?”
In this reading ““Some friends, Toto!” exclaimed his grandmother in astonishment.”
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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are laughing at me.”
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “Some friends, Toto!” exclaimed his grandmother in astonishment.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading You are laughing at me.”
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
a youthful male person
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
dearly loved
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
apart from; not including
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Some friends, Toto!” exclaimed his grandmother in astonishment.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “Some friends, Toto!” exclaimed his grandmother in astonishment.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Some friends, Toto!” exclaimed his grandmother in astonishment.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Some friends, Toto!” exclaimed his grandmother in astonishment.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading You are laughing at me.”
make longer
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You are laughing at me.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
not any; not one
From this reading “No, I am not, Granny,” said the boy.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “No, I am not, Granny,” said the boy.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
at the time that
From this reading “GRANNY,” said Toto the next day, when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, “I am expecting some friends here this afternoon.”
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “My dear boy, what friend have you in the world except your old Granny?
Chapter 2 of The Joyous Story of Toto by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 204 sentences of The Joyous Story of Toto, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Joyous Story of Toto by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Joyous Story of Toto by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2279 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35281 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35281, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 189 minutes of reading across 456 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Joyous Story of Toto section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Joyous Story of Toto 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 Joyous Story of Toto, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
