Chapter II of The Purple Fern, “An Adventure,” is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter II of The Purple Fern, “An Adventure,” is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his. "Oh!--a clever man like you." "Ah-a,--what pleasant feminine flattery." "The truth. You are celebrated."
Chapter II of The Purple Fern, “An Adventure,” is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading “You are celebrated."”
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading “"I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.”
a competitor thought likely to win
From this reading “"I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.”
associated with women and not with men
From this reading “"Ah-a,--what pleasant feminine flattery."”
excessive or insincere praise
From this reading “"Ah-a,--what pleasant feminine flattery."”
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading “"I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “"I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.”
a harsh noise made by scraping
From this reading “"I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.”
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 “"Oh!--a clever man like you."”
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 am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah-a,--what pleasant feminine flattery."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are celebrated."
widely known and esteemed
From this reading You are celebrated."
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading "Oh!--a clever man like you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
a competitor thought likely to win
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
associated with women and not with men
From this reading "Ah-a,--what pleasant feminine flattery."
excessive or insincere praise
From this reading "Ah-a,--what pleasant feminine flattery."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Oh!--a clever man like you."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Oh!--a clever man like you."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!--a clever man like you."
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading "Ah-a,--what pleasant feminine flattery."
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
a harsh noise made by scraping
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The truth.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading "The truth.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Ah-a,--what pleasant feminine flattery."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I am extremely puzzled," said Dr. Jerce, scratching his plump chin with his right fore-finger--a favourite gesture of his.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Oh!--a clever man like you."
Chapter 2 of The Purple Fern by Fergus Hume holds 265 sentences, grouped into 53 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 265 sentences of The Purple Fern, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Purple Fern by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 265 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 Purple Fern by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6262 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56233 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56233, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 521 minutes of reading across 1253 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Purple Fern section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Purple Fern 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 Purple Fern, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
