Chapter II of The Secret of the Sundial, “Cara’s Fright,” is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter II of The Secret of the Sundial, “Cara’s Fright,” is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara. “We’ll not make you go back there again. But tell us, what frightened you so?” “I—I saw a ghost!” “You must have dreamed it,” Jane declared.
Chapter II of The Secret of the Sundial, “Cara’s Fright,” is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading ““It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.”
made comfortable or more comfortable in a time of distress
From this reading ““It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.”
made known or openly avowed
From this reading ““You must have dreamed it,” Jane declared.”
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading ““You must have dreamed it,” Jane declared.”
made afraid
From this reading “But tell us, what frightened you so?””
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading ““I—I saw a ghost!””
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading ““It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.”
an individual instance of a type of symbol
From this reading ““It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.”
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.
belong to an earlier time
In this reading ““We’ll not make you go back there again.”
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 doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
anew
From this reading “We’ll not make you go back there again.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “We’ll not make you go back there again.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But tell us, what frightened you so?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
made comfortable or more comfortable in a time of distress
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “You must have dreamed it,” Jane declared.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading “You must have dreamed it,” Jane declared.
made afraid
From this reading But tell us, what frightened you so?”
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading “I—I saw a ghost!”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “We’ll not make you go back there again.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You must have dreamed it,” Jane declared.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I—I saw a ghost!”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You must have dreamed it,” Jane declared.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
engage in
From this reading “We’ll not make you go back there again.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “You must have dreamed it,” Jane declared.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “We’ll not make you go back there again.
cut with a saw
From this reading “I—I saw a ghost!”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But tell us, what frightened you so?”
express in words
From this reading But tell us, what frightened you so?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “We’ll not make you go back there again.
an individual instance of a type of symbol
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But tell us, what frightened you so?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’ll not make you go back there again.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But tell us, what frightened you so?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring a token,” Madge comforted the shaking Cara.
Chapter 2 of The Secret of the Sundial by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 100 sentences of The Secret of the Sundial, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Secret of the Sundial by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Secret of the Sundial by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1899 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 158 minutes of reading across 380 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret of the Sundial section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Secret of the Sundial 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 Secret of the Sundial, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
