Chapter 2 of The Magic Soap Bubble is here in full — 415 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 Magic Soap Bubble is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What is it?" "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly. "Go ahead," said Ned. "I can take care of myself. At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
Chapter 2 of The Magic Soap Bubble is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
at or in the front
From this reading “"Go ahead," said Ned.”
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “"I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.”
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading “"I can take care of myself.”
the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading “"I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.”
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading “"I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.”
a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure
From this reading “At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."”
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading “At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."”
in an unfortunate way
From this reading “"I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.”
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 “At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."”
be careful, prudent, or watchful
In this reading “"I can take care of myself.”
proceed (with a plan of action)
In this reading “"Go ahead," said Ned.”
be restored
In this reading “At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."”
In this reading “"I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.”
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 "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
at or in the front
From this reading "Go ahead," said Ned.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I can take care of myself.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "I can take care of myself.
the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure
From this reading At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Go ahead," said Ned.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I can take care of myself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Go ahead," said Ned.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I can take care of myself.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
in an unfortunate way
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Go ahead," said Ned.
carry out
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading At any rate it is about time my friend the Gnome came back to me."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was to take a chicken to my old mother," answered the giant sadly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it?"
Chapter 2 of The Magic Soap Bubble by David Cory holds 415 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 415 sentences of The Magic Soap Bubble, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Magic Soap Bubble by David Cory exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 Magic Soap Bubble by David Cory on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 845 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26944 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26944, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 70 minutes of reading across 169 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Magic Soap Bubble section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Magic Soap Bubble 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 Magic Soap Bubble, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
