The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman • Curated US English Learning Edition

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At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

This side track parallels the main track for half a mile, and on this siding Ben, as soon as he saw the situation, drew in with his train so that it lay beside the passenger-train and left the main line clear behind.

It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

It was pouring rain and as dark as a pocket.

He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

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Chapter II Reading 1/81

The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards. This side track parallels the main track for half a mile, and on this siding Ben, as soon as he saw the situation, drew in with his train so that it lay beside the passenger-train and left the main line clear behind. It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due. It was pouring rain and as dark as a pocket. He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

Line 2

Line 3

It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

Line 4

It was pouring rain and as dark as a pocket.

/ɪt wɑːz ˈpɔːrɪŋ reɪn ənd æz dɑːrk æz ə ˈpɑːkət/

Line 5

He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

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.

brakeman noun US /ˈbreɪkmən/

a railroad employee responsible for a train's brakes

From this reading “He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.”

parallels noun US /ˈperəlelz/

plural of “parallel” — something having the property of being analogous to something else

From this reading “This side track parallels the main track for half a mile, and on this siding Ben, as soon as he saw the situation, drew in with his train so that it lay beside the passenger-train and left the main line clear behind.”

pouring adjective US /ˈpɔːrɪŋ/

flowing profusely

From this reading “It was pouring rain and as dark as a pocket.”

section noun US /ˈsekʃən/

a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)

From this reading “It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.”

siding noun US /ˈsaɪdɪŋ/

a short stretch of railroad track used to store rolling stock or enable trains on the same line to pass

From this reading “At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.”

torpedoes noun US /tɔːrˈpiːdoʊz/

plural of “torpedo” — a professional killer who uses a gun

From this reading “He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.”

track noun US /træk/

a line or route along which something travels or moves

warn verb US /wɔːrn/

notify of danger, potential harm, or risk

From this reading “He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.”

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.

pouring rain adjective + noun

In this reading “It was pouring rain and as dark as a pocket.”

main line adjective + noun

the principal route of a transportation system

In this reading “This side track parallels the main track for half a mile, and on this siding Ben, as soon as he saw the situation, drew in with his train so that it lay beside the passenger-train and left the main line clear behind.”

lay beside verb + particle

At the foot preposition + article + noun counted as “at … foot”

In this reading “At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.”

with red preposition + noun

In this reading “He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.”

All words in this reading · 78

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading This side track parallels the main track for half a mile, and on this siding Ben, as soon as he saw the situation, drew in with his train so that it lay beside the passenger-train and left the main line clear behind.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

becameverbUS /bɪˈkeɪm/

inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

BennounUS /ben/

a mountain or tall hill

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

Beverly

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

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

brakemannounUS /ˈbreɪkmən/

a railroad employee responsible for a train's brakes

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

clearverbUS /klɪr/

rid of obstructions

cut-off

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

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading It was pouring rain and as dark as a pocket.

drewnounUS /druː/

United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)

dueadjectiveUS /duː/

owed and payable immediately or on demand

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

dutynounUS /ˈduːti/

the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

footnounUS /fʊt/

the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

guardnounUS /ɡɑːrd/

a person who keeps watch over something or someone

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

HillnounUS /hɪl/

a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

hind-end

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

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

lightsnounUS /laɪts/

plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

linenounUS /laɪn/

a formation of people or things one beside another

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

mainadjectiveUS /meɪn/

most important element

milenounUS /maɪl/

a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

parallelsnounUS /ˈperəlelz/

plural of “parallel” — something having the property of being analogous to something else

passenger-train

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

pocketnounUS /ˈpɑːkət/

a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles

From this reading It was pouring rain and as dark as a pocket.

pouringadjectiveUS /ˈpɔːrɪŋ/

flowing profusely

From this reading It was pouring rain and as dark as a pocket.

rainnounUS /reɪn/

water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere

From this reading It was pouring rain and as dark as a pocket.

rearnounUS /rɪr/

the back of a military formation or procession

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

runverbUS /rʌn/

move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

sectionnounUS /ˈsekʃən/

a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

sidingnounUS /ˈsaɪdɪŋ/

a short stretch of railroad track used to store rolling stock or enable trains on the same line to pass

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

situationnounUS /ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən/

the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

sortnounUS /sɔːrt/

a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

startedverbUS /ˈstɑːrtɪd/

past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

stock-train

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

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

torpedoesnounUS /tɔːrˈpiːdoʊz/

plural of “torpedo” — a professional killer who uses a gun

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

tracknounUS /træk/

a line or route along which something travels or moves

trainverbUS /treɪn/

create by training and teaching

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

upperadjectiveUS /ˈʌpər/

the topmost one of two

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/

employed in accomplishing something

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

warnverbUS /wɔːrn/

notify of danger, potential harm, or risk

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was pouring rain and as dark as a pocket.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading He started his hind-end brakeman back on the run with red lights and torpedoes to warn the second section well up the hill.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading It then became his duty to guard the track to the rear, where the second section of the stock-train would soon be due.

yardsnounUS /jɑːrdz/

plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

Zanesville

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

From this reading At the foot of Beverly Hill there is a siding--a long siding, once used as a sort of cut-off to the upper Zanesville yards.

Chapter 2 of The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad by Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman holds 409 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 Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad contain?

Chapter 2 holds 409 sentences of The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad by Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 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 Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad?

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.

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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.

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Yes. All 2438 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33947 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #33947, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 203 minutes of reading across 488 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Rumors: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Nerve of Foley, and Other Railroad; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter II

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