Chapter 2 of The Queen Bee, and Other Nature Stories is here in full — 566 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Queen Bee, and Other Nature Stories is here in full — 566 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively. "What are they?" "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear. "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now. I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
Chapter 2 of The Queen Bee, and Other Nature Stories is here in full — 566 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/113 · 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 mark to indicate a direction or relation
From this reading “I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.”
any of several large deciduous trees with rounded spreading crowns and smooth grey bark and small sweet edible triangular nuts enclosed in burs; north temperate regions
From this reading “"Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively.”
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading “"But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.”
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.”
any of several mostly spotted fishes that resemble groupers
From this reading “I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.”
someone who hunts game
From this reading “I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.”
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading “"Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively.”
run at a moderately swift pace
From this reading “I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.”
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 “I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.”
any of several large deciduous trees with rounded spreading crowns and smooth grey bark and small sweet edible triangular nuts enclosed in burs; north temperate regions
In this reading “"Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively.”
In this reading “I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.”
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 "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What are they?"
a mark to indicate a direction or relation
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
have
From this reading "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
any of several large deciduous trees with rounded spreading crowns and smooth grey bark and small sweet edible triangular nuts enclosed in burs; north temperate regions
From this reading "Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
any of several mostly spotted fishes that resemble groupers
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
someone who hunts game
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
with curiosity
From this reading "Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively.
and nothing more
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
staying power
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading "Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What are they?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading "Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively.
run at a moderately swift pace
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
(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 "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What are they?"
which person or people
From this reading I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said the bear.
Chapter 2 of The Queen Bee, and Other Nature Stories by Carl Ewald holds 566 sentences, grouped into 114 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 566 sentences of The Queen Bee, and Other Nature Stories, unabridged, divided into 114 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Queen Bee, and Other Nature Stories by Carl Ewald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 566 sentences, grouped into 114 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 114 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 114 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 Queen Bee, and Other Nature Stories by Carl Ewald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1133 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40553 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40553, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 94 minutes of reading across 227 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Queen Bee, and Other Nature Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Queen Bee, and Other Nature Stories 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 Queen Bee, and Other Nature Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
