Chapter 2 of The tale of Benny Badger is here in full — 548 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The tale of Benny Badger is here in full — 548 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh. "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried. "You're really no better than I am." Benny Badger hadn't thought of that. And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.
Chapter 2 of The tale of Benny Badger is here in full — 548 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/109 · 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.
annoy persistently
From this reading “Benny Badger hadn't thought of that.”
East Indian annual erect herb; source of sesame seed or benniseed and sesame oil
From this reading “Benny Badger hadn't thought of that.”
lacking grace in movement or posture
From this reading “"Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.”
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading “To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.”
take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading “"Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "You're really no better than I am."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.
annoy persistently
From this reading Benny Badger hadn't thought of that.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.
East Indian annual erect herb; source of sesame seed or benniseed and sesame oil
From this reading Benny Badger hadn't thought of that.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "You're really no better than I am."
lacking grace in movement or posture
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Benny Badger hadn't thought of that.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You're really no better than I am."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
the sound of laughing
From this reading To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.
a form of address for a man
From this reading To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.
not any; not one
From this reading "You're really no better than I am."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Benny Badger hadn't thought of that.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "You're really no better than I am."
take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "You're really no better than I am."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Benny Badger hadn't thought of that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And the idea surprised him so much that his mouth fell open.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Benny Badger hadn't thought of that.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To his great surprise, Mr. Fox began to laugh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're really no better than I am."
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "Why, you'd rob them yourself if you weren't so clumsy!" he cried.
Chapter 2 of The tale of Benny Badger by Arthur Scott Bailey holds 548 sentences, grouped into 110 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 548 sentences of The tale of Benny Badger, unabridged, divided into 110 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The tale of Benny Badger by Arthur Scott Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 548 sentences, grouped into 110 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 110 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 110 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 tale of Benny Badger by Arthur Scott Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1154 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24589 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24589, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 96 minutes of reading across 231 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The tale of Benny Badger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The tale of Benny Badger 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 tale of Benny Badger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
