Chapter 2 of The mule-bone is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The mule-bone is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SISTER TAYLOR. Is dat whut it says? I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out. You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight. (Turns back to notice) Whut it say?
Chapter 2 of The mule-bone is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 digital tape recording of sound
From this reading “Is dat whut it says?”
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading “(Turns back to notice) Whut it say?”
cause to move by pulling
From this reading “You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.”
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading “I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.”
plural of “ruin” — an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading “You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.”
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading “SISTER TAYLOR.”
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading “I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.”
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading “(Turns back to notice) Whut it say?”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading (Turns back to notice) Whut it say?
a digital tape recording of sound
From this reading Is dat whut it says?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.
the organ of sight
From this reading You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is dat whut it says?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Is dat whut it says?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading (Turns back to notice) Whut it say?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.
plural of “ruin” — an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.
express in words
From this reading (Turns back to notice) Whut it say?
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Is dat whut it says?
an instance of visual perception
From this reading You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading SISTER TAYLOR.
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading SISTER TAYLOR.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading I ain’t much on readin’since I had my teeth pulled out.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading (Turns back to notice) Whut it say?
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading (Turns back to notice) Whut it say?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Is dat whut it says?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You know if you pull out dem eye teeth you ruins’ yo’ eye sight.
Chapter 2 of The mule-bone by Langston Hughes holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The mule-bone, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The mule-bone by Langston Hughes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 mule-bone by Langston Hughes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1190 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19435 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19435, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 99 minutes of reading across 238 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The mule-bone section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The mule-bone 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 mule-bone, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
