Chapter 2 of The Sun's Babies is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Sun's Babies is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold! When do you open them, pansy so blue? I watch, but never see. One day there's a bud; the next, there's--you! You are _such_ a puzzle to me.
Chapter 2 of The Sun's Babies is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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 partially opened flower
From this reading “One day there's a bud; the next, there's--you!”
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading “Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!”
large-flowered garden plant derived chiefly from the wild pansy of Europe and having velvety petals of various colors
From this reading “Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!”
plural of “petal” — part of the perianth that is usually brightly colored
From this reading “Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!”
be a mystery or bewildering to
From this reading “You are _such_ a puzzle to me.”
develop or come to a promising stage
From this reading “Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!”
smooth and soft to sight or hearing or touch or taste
From this reading “Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!”
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading One day there's a bud; the next, there's--you!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are _such_ a puzzle to me.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading When do you open them, pansy so blue?
a partially opened flower
From this reading One day there's a bud; the next, there's--you!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I watch, but never see.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One day there's a bud; the next, there's--you!
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading When do you open them, pansy so blue?
coins made of gold
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You are _such_ a puzzle to me.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I watch, but never see.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading One day there's a bud; the next, there's--you!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One day there's a bud; the next, there's--you!
To move from a closed position.
From this reading When do you open them, pansy so blue?
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
large-flowered garden plant derived chiefly from the wild pansy of Europe and having velvety petals of various colors
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
plural of “petal” — part of the perianth that is usually brightly colored
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
be a mystery or bewildering to
From this reading You are _such_ a puzzle to me.
cut with a saw
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I watch, but never see.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading You are _such_ a puzzle to me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One day there's a bud; the next, there's--you!
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading When do you open them, pansy so blue?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One day there's a bud; the next, there's--you!
up to a particular time
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You are _such_ a puzzle to me.
develop or come to a promising stage
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
smooth and soft to sight or hearing or touch or taste
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
look attentively
From this reading I watch, but never see.
at the time that
From this reading When do you open them, pansy so blue?
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
hope for; have a wish
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
in the company of; together with
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading When do you open them, pansy so blue?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!
Chapter 2 of The Sun's Babies by Edith Howes holds 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 445 sentences of The Sun's Babies, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Sun's Babies by Edith Howes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Sun's Babies by Edith Howes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3126 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38063 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38063, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 260 minutes of reading across 626 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sun's Babies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Sun's Babies 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 Sun's Babies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
