Chapter 2 of The Touch of Abner is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Touch of Abner is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, it’s them things ye’r thinkin’ of. Well, mebbe ye’r right. But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want. Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?" "For a time we did.
Chapter 2 of The Touch of Abner is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading “But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.”
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading “But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.”
wood of any of various maple trees; especially the hard close-grained wood of the sugar maple; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading “But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.”
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading “But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.”
literature in metrical form
From this reading “But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.”
a private place of education for the young
From this reading “Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?"”
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading “But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.”
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading “But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.”
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.
In this reading “Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?"”
In this reading “But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.”
In this reading “"For a time we did.”
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 But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "For a time we did.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "For a time we did.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, it’s them things ye’r thinkin’ of.
wood of any of various maple trees; especially the hard close-grained wood of the sugar maple; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, mebbe ye’r right.
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oh, it’s them things ye’r thinkin’ of.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, it’s them things ye’r thinkin’ of.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
literature in metrical form
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Well, mebbe ye’r right.
a private place of education for the young
From this reading Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?"
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Oh, it’s them things ye’r thinkin’ of.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Oh, it’s them things ye’r thinkin’ of.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, it’s them things ye’r thinkin’ of.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "For a time we did.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "For a time we did.
(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 Well, mebbe ye’r right.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading But a piece of good dry maple in our old stove on a cold day in winter gives all the poetry an’ music I want.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, it’s them things ye’r thinkin’ of.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Guess ye’ve been studyin’ sich things at the Seminary, eh?"
Chapter 2 of The Touch of Abner by H. A. (Hiram Alfred) Cody holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 398 sentences of The Touch of Abner, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Touch of Abner by H. A. (Hiram Alfred) Cody exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Touch of Abner by H. A. (Hiram Alfred) Cody on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6854 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53604 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53604, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 571 minutes of reading across 1371 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Touch of Abner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Touch of Abner 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 Touch of Abner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
