Chapter 2 of The Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears is here in full — 495 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears is here in full — 495 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm. When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank." He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind." "Just flash blindness, Hurd. Only temporary."
Chapter 2 of The Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears is here in full — 495 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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 person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading “"Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.”
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind."”
the state of being blind or lacking sight
From this reading “"Just flash blindness, Hurd.”
breathe with great difficulty, as when experiencing a strong emotion
From this reading “He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind."”
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading “"Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.”
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “"Just flash blindness, Hurd.”
an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads
From this reading “When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."”
not permanent; not lasting
From this reading “Only temporary."”
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.
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.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind."
the state of being blind or lacking sight
From this reading "Just flash blindness, Hurd.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
breathe with great difficulty, as when experiencing a strong emotion
From this reading He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading "Just flash blindness, Hurd.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind."
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."
and nothing more
From this reading "Just flash blindness, Hurd.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind."
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
and nothing more
From this reading Only temporary."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He heard the rat-faced man choke, "My God, he's blind."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."
an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads
From this reading When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."
not permanent; not lasting
From this reading Only temporary."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."
in or at that place or location
From this reading When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Any one else need first aid?" he called, and tried to keep his voice firm.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."
at the time that
From this reading When there was silence, he said, "Hurd, lead me to the tank."
Chapter 2 of The Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears by Keith Bennett holds 495 sentences, grouped into 99 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 495 sentences of The Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears, unabridged, divided into 99 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears by Keith Bennett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 495 sentences, grouped into 99 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 99 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 99 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 Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears by Keith Bennett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1006 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64772 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64772, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 83 minutes of reading across 202 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears 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 Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
