Chapter 2 of The tale of Chirpy Cricket is here in full — 547 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 Chirpy Cricket is here in full — 547 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Do you live near-by?" Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife. "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said. "We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making. The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
Chapter 2 of The tale of Chirpy Cricket is here in full — 547 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.
(birds or insects) characterized by or tending to chirp
From this reading “Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.”
leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together
From this reading “Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.”
housing that someone is living in
From this reading “The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.”
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading “Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.”
the molecular weight of a substance expressed in grams; the basic unit of amount of substance adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.”
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading “The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.”
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading “The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.”
move through by or as by digging
From this reading “"We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making.”
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.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
(birds or insects) characterized by or tending to chirp
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said.
leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you live near-by?"
housing that someone is living in
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
and nothing more
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "Do you live near-by?"
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading "We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making.
come together
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
the molecular weight of a substance expressed in grams; the basic unit of amount of substance adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Do you live near-by?"
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The other end of it opens into my dwelling, some distance below the surface of the garden.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
move through by or as by digging
From this reading "We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making.
precisely as stated
From this reading "My home is not very far from here," his new cousin said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We'll go back through this tunnel I've been making.
which person or people
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Chirpy Cricket inquired of Mr. Mole Cricket, who had just invited him to his home to meet his wife.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you live near-by?"
Chapter 2 of The tale of Chirpy Cricket by Arthur Scott Bailey holds 547 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 547 sentences of The tale of Chirpy Cricket, unabridged, divided into 110 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The tale of Chirpy Cricket by Arthur Scott Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 547 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 Chirpy Cricket by Arthur Scott Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1098 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25943 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25943, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 91 minutes of reading across 220 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The tale of Chirpy Cricket section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The tale of Chirpy Cricket 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 Chirpy Cricket, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
