Chapter 2 of The tale of Nimble Deer is here in full — 475 sentences across 95 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 Nimble Deer is here in full — 475 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns. They were not very big. But neither was Nimble, for that matter. So they suited him well. A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
Chapter 2 of The tale of Nimble Deer is here in full — 475 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
having branches
From this reading “A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.”
distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers
From this reading “A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.”
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.”
plural of “horn” — a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it
From this reading “Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.”
moving quickly and lightly
From this reading “But neither was Nimble, for that matter.”
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading “A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.”
meant or adapted for an occasion or use
From this reading “So they suited him well.”
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading “A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.”
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 Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They were not very big.
having branches
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But neither was Nimble, for that matter.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But neither was Nimble, for that matter.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So they suited him well.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
plural of “horn” — a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading But neither was Nimble, for that matter.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading But neither was Nimble, for that matter.
moving quickly and lightly
From this reading But neither was Nimble, for that matter.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They were not very big.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So they suited him well.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
meant or adapted for an occasion or use
From this reading So they suited him well.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were not very big.
precisely as stated
From this reading They were not very big.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But neither was Nimble, for that matter.
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading So they suited him well.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were not very big.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading A little deer like him would have looked queer wearing great branching horns such as his father owned.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Of course you have already guessed that he had a pair of horns.
Chapter 2 of The tale of Nimble Deer by Arthur Scott Bailey holds 475 sentences, grouped into 95 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 475 sentences of The tale of Nimble Deer, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The tale of Nimble Deer by Arthur Scott Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 475 sentences, grouped into 95 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 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 95 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 Nimble Deer by Arthur Scott Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1380 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21619 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21619, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 115 minutes of reading across 276 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The tale of Nimble Deer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The tale of Nimble Deer 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 Nimble Deer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
