Chapter 2 of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“How long has the Doctor had him?” I asked. “Oh, a long time. Jip’s getting pretty old now. That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.
Chapter 2 of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 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.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “I asked.”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading ““How long has the Doctor had him?””
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “Jip’s getting pretty old now.”
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading ““How long has the Doctor had him?””
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Jip’s getting pretty old now.”
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “Jip’s getting pretty old now.”
carry out
From this reading “That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.”
plural of “voyage” — an act of traveling by water
From this reading “That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.”
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 “Oh, a long time.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “How long has the Doctor had him?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading Jip’s getting pretty old now.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “How long has the Doctor had him?”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “How long has the Doctor had him?”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “How long has the Doctor had him?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How long has the Doctor had him?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jip’s getting pretty old now.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “How long has the Doctor had him?”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Jip’s getting pretty old now.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, a long time.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Jip’s getting pretty old now.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading Jip’s getting pretty old now.
carry out
From this reading That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “How long has the Doctor had him?”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “Oh, a long time.
plural of “voyage” — an act of traveling by water
From this reading That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading That’s why the Doctor doesn’t take him on his voyages any more.
Chapter 2 of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting holds 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 205 sentences of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4755 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1154 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1154, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 396 minutes of reading across 951 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle 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 Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
