Chapter 2 of The Turning of Griggsby is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Turning of Griggsby is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household. He was an auctioneer, a musician, and a horseman. When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door. He was coatless, collarless, and in dirty linen.
Chapter 2 of The Turning of Griggsby is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
an agent who conducts an auction
From this reading “He was an auctioneer, a musician, and a horseman.”
(Old Testament) a youth who was taken into the court of Nebuchadnezzar and given divine protection when thrown into a den of lions (6th century BC)
From this reading “DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.”
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading “He was coatless, collarless, and in dirty linen.”
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading “He was an auctioneer, a musician, and a horseman.”
a social unit living together
From this reading “DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.”
a fabric woven with fibers from the flax plant
From this reading “He was coatless, collarless, and in dirty linen.”
someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)
From this reading “He was an auctioneer, a musician, and a horseman.”
English playwright (1580-1625)
From this reading “DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.”
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.
personal matters that could be embarrassing if made public
In this reading “He was coatless, collarless, and in dirty linen.”
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 DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
(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 DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was an auctioneer, a musician, and a horseman.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
an agent who conducts an auction
From this reading He was an auctioneer, a musician, and a horseman.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was coatless, collarless, and in dirty linen.
without a collar
From this reading He was coatless, collarless, and in dirty linen.
(Old Testament) a youth who was taken into the court of Nebuchadnezzar and given divine protection when thrown into a den of lions (6th century BC)
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading He was coatless, collarless, and in dirty linen.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was an auctioneer, a musician, and a horseman.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading He was an auctioneer, a musician, and a horseman.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
a social unit living together
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
a fabric woven with fibers from the flax plant
From this reading He was coatless, collarless, and in dirty linen.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)
From this reading He was an auctioneer, a musician, and a horseman.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was an auctioneer, a musician, and a horseman.
English playwright (1580-1625)
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
at the time that
From this reading When I went to begin my life in his house, it was he who opened the door.
which person or people
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading DANIEL WEBSTER SMEAD had five children and a wife, who did all the work of the household.
Chapter 2 of The Turning of Griggsby by Irving Bacheller holds 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 209 sentences of The Turning of Griggsby, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Turning of Griggsby by Irving Bacheller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Turning of Griggsby by Irving Bacheller on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1502 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50087 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50087, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 125 minutes of reading across 301 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Turning of Griggsby section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Turning of Griggsby 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 Turning of Griggsby, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
