Chapter 2 of The Valiant Runaways is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Valiant Runaways is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"We must cross," said Roldan. "It would never do to spend the night on this side. If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing. If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us." "Very well," said Adan.
Chapter 2 of The Valiant Runaways is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
travel across or pass over
From this reading “"We must cross," said Roldan.”
traveling across
From this reading “If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.”
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading “If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."”
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."”
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading “"It would never do to spend the night on this side.”
imagine to be the case or true or probable
From this reading “If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.”
up to a particular time
From this reading “If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Very well," said Adan.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."
travel across or pass over
From this reading "We must cross," said Roldan.
traveling across
From this reading If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "We must cross," said Roldan.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We must cross," said Roldan.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "We must cross," said Roldan.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
imagine to be the case or true or probable
From this reading If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
up to a particular time
From this reading If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."
a formal word for “on”
From this reading If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well," said Adan.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We must cross," said Roldan.
(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 "Very well," said Adan.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "It would never do to spend the night on this side.
Chapter 2 of The Valiant Runaways by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 413 sentences of The Valiant Runaways, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Valiant Runaways by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Valiant Runaways by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3249 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3706 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3706, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 270 minutes of reading across 650 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Valiant Runaways section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Valiant Runaways 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 Valiant Runaways, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
