The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Margaret Vandercook • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

Back of them were Mrs. Thornton and Mildred.

It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

Finally Mrs. Thornton, leaning over, touched her son on the shoulder.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 1/29

The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches Margaret Vandercook

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Moving along Riverside Drive with sufficient slowness to grasp details had given the little western visitor an opportunity to enjoy the great sweep of the Hudson River and the beauty of the New Jersey palisades. On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon. Back of them were Mrs. Thornton and Mildred. It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive. Finally Mrs. Thornton, leaning over, touched her son on the shoulder.

The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

/ˈmuːvɪŋ əˈlɔːŋ ˈrɪvərsaɪd draɪv wɪð səˈfɪʃənt ˈsloʊnəs tuː ɡræsp dɪˈteɪlz hæd ˈɡɪvən ðə ˈlɪtəl ˈwestərn ˈvɪzɪtər æn ˌɑːpərˈtuːnəti tuː ˌenˈdʒɔɪ ðə ɡreɪt swiːp ʌv ðə ˈhʌdsən ˈrɪvər ənd ðə ˈbjuːti ʌv ðə nuː ˈdʒɜːrzi ˌpælɪˈseɪdz/

Line 2

On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

Line 3

Back of them were Mrs. Thornton and Mildred.

Line 4

It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

/ɪt wɑːz ə koʊld ˈeɪprəl deɪ ənd ðer wɜːr nɑːt ˈmeni ˈʌðər kɑːrz əˈlɔːŋ ðə draɪv/

Line 5

Finally Mrs. Thornton, leaning over, touched her son on the shoulder.

/ˈfaɪnəli ˈmɪsɪz ˈθɔːrntən ˈliːnɪŋ ˈoʊvər tʌtʃt hɜːr sʌn ɑːn ðə ˈʃoʊldər/

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.

cars noun US /kɑːrz/

plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading “It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.”

chauffeur's noun US /ʃoʊˈfɜːrz/

possessive form of “chauffeur” — a man paid to drive a privately owned car

Hudson noun US /ˈhʌdsən/

a New York river; flows southward into New York Bay; explored by Henry Hudson early in the 17th century

From this reading “Moving along Riverside Drive with sufficient slowness to grasp details had given the little western visitor an opportunity to enjoy the great sweep of the Hudson River and the beauty of the New Jersey palisades.”

Jersey noun US /ˈdʒɜːrzi/

a Mid-Atlantic state on the Atlantic; one of the original 13 colonies

palisades noun US /ˌpælɪˈseɪdz/

plural of “palisade” — fortification consisting of a strong fence made of stakes driven into the ground

Riverside noun US /ˈrɪvərsaɪd/

the bank of a river

slowness noun US /ˈsloʊnəs/

unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training

Thornton noun US /ˈθɔːrntən/

American architect (1759-1828)

From this reading “On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.”

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.

motor car noun + noun

In this reading “On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.”

front seat noun + noun

In this reading “On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.”

sweep of verb + particle

In this reading “Moving along Riverside Drive with sufficient slowness to grasp details had given the little western visitor an opportunity to enjoy the great sweep of the Hudson River and the beauty of the New Jersey palisades.”

All words in this reading · 68

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 It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading Moving along Riverside Drive with sufficient slowness to grasp details had given the little western visitor an opportunity to enjoy the great sweep of the Hudson River and the beauty of the New Jersey palisades.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

AprilnounUS /ˈeɪprəl/

the month following March and preceding May

From this reading It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

BackadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Back of them were Mrs. Thornton and Mildred.

Barbara

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

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

beautynounUS /ˈbjuːti/

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

carnounUS /kɑːr/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

carsnounUS /kɑːrz/

plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

chauffeur'snounUS /ʃoʊˈfɜːrz/

possessive form of “chauffeur” — a man paid to drive a privately owned car

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

detailsnounUS /dɪˈteɪlz/

true confidential information

DicknounUS /dɪk/

someone who is a detective

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

DriveverbUS /draɪv/

operate or control a vehicle

enjoyverbUS /ˌenˈdʒɔɪ/

derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in

FinallyadverbUS /ˈfaɪnəli/

after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay

From this reading Finally Mrs. Thornton, leaning over, touched her son on the shoulder.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

graspverbUS /ɡræsp/

hold firmly

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Finally Mrs. Thornton, leaning over, touched her son on the shoulder.

HudsonnounUS /ˈhʌdsən/

a New York river; flows southward into New York Bay; explored by Henry Hudson early in the 17th century

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

JerseynounUS /ˈdʒɜːrzi/

a Mid-Atlantic state on the Atlantic; one of the original 13 colonies

leaningadjectiveUS /ˈliːnɪŋ/

departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal

From this reading Finally Mrs. Thornton, leaning over, touched her son on the shoulder.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

Mildred

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

From this reading Back of them were Mrs. Thornton and Mildred.

motornounUS /ˈmoʊtər/

machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

MovingadjectiveUS /ˈmuːvɪŋ/

in motion

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading Back of them were Mrs. Thornton and Mildred.

NewadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

offeredverbUS /ˈɔːfərd/

past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

opportunitynounUS /ˌɑːpərˈtuːnəti/

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Finally Mrs. Thornton, leaning over, touched her son on the shoulder.

palisadesnounUS /ˌpælɪˈseɪdz/

plural of “palisade” — fortification consisting of a strong fence made of stakes driven into the ground

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

RivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

RiversidenounUS /ˈrɪvərsaɪd/

the bank of a river

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

seatnounUS /siːt/

a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

shoulderverbUS /ˈʃoʊldər/

lift onto one's shoulders

From this reading Finally Mrs. Thornton, leaning over, touched her son on the shoulder.

slownessnounUS /ˈsloʊnəs/

unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading Finally Mrs. Thornton, leaning over, touched her son on the shoulder.

sufficientadjectiveUS /səˈfɪʃənt/

of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant

sweepverbUS /swiːp/

sweep across or over

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Back of them were Mrs. Thornton and Mildred.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

ThorntonnounUS /ˈθɔːrntən/

American architect (1759-1828)

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

touchedadjectiveUS /tʌtʃt/

having come into contact

From this reading Finally Mrs. Thornton, leaning over, touched her son on the shoulder.

visitornounUS /ˈvɪzɪtər/

someone who visits

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was a cold April day and there were not many other cars along the Drive.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Back of them were Mrs. Thornton and Mildred.

westernadjectiveUS /ˈwestərn/

relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading On the front seat of the motor car Barbara sat with Dick Thornton, who had offered to take the chauffeur’s place for the afternoon.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

Chapter 2 of The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches by Margaret Vandercook holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches contain?

Chapter 2 holds 149 sentences of The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches by Margaret Vandercook exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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 2788 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60154 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #60154, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 232 minutes of reading across 558 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Dance: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mildred: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thornton: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Climbed: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter II

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Vocabulary met early in The Red Cross Girls in the British Trenches