Chapter 2 of The Second String is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Second String is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack. "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it. He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it." "He asked you to take a friend. Suppose I join you?"
Chapter 2 of The Second String is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 nation occupying the whole of the Australian continent; Aboriginal tribes are thought to have migrated from southeastern Asia 20,000 years ago; first Europeans were British convicts sent there as a penal colony
From this reading “"I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.”
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading “He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."”
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading “"I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.”
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading “Suppose I join you?"”
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading “He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."”
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading “"I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.”
the person who plays that position on a football team
From this reading “He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."”
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “"I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.”
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.
come up with
In this reading “"I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.”
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 "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
any thing at all
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "He asked you to take a friend.
a nation occupying the whole of the Australian continent; Aboriginal tribes are thought to have migrated from southeastern Asia 20,000 years ago; first Europeans were British convicts sent there as a penal colony
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "He asked you to take a friend.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
a small worthless amount
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading Suppose I join you?"
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
express a supposition
From this reading Suppose I join you?"
the person who plays that position on a football team
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
carry out
From this reading "He asked you to take a friend.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
during the time that
From this reading He's far too cute to tackle anything that is worked out, or likely to be, while he is in it."
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "I thought pearl fishing was about worked out in Australia," said Jack.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "It cannot be, or Barry Tuxford would not have a hand in it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "He asked you to take a friend.
Chapter 2 of The Second String by Nat Gould holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of The Second String, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Second String by Nat Gould exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Second String by Nat Gould on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35782 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35782, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 827 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Second String section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Second String 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 Second String, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
