Chapter 2 of The Wishing Well is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Wishing Well is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm not hungry, Mom," he mumbled. "Excuse me, please. I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry." Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer. "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
Chapter 2 of The Wishing Well is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the specified day of the month
From this reading “I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."”
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading “Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “"Excuse me, please.”
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading “"I'm not hungry, Mom," he mumbled.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"I'm not hungry, Mom," he mumbled.”
past form of “mumble” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"I'm not hungry, Mom," he mumbled.”
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading “"I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.”
someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
From this reading “Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.”
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 “"I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.”
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 I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.
a youthful male person
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.
the specified day of the month
From this reading I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "Excuse me, please.
a boy or man
From this reading I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'm not hungry, Mom," he mumbled.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading "I'm not hungry, Mom," he mumbled.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm not hungry, Mom," he mumbled.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Excuse me, please.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "I'm not hungry, Mom," he mumbled.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.
past form of “mumble” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "I'm not hungry, Mom," he mumbled.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I'm not hungry, Mom," he mumbled.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Excuse me, please.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
From this reading Before Mrs. Breen could detain him, he left the trailer.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "I can't understand that boy any more," she observed with a sad shake of her head.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I have a date with a fellow at Riverview, and I have to hurry."
Chapter 2 of The Wishing Well by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The Wishing Well, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Wishing Well by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Wishing Well by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3661 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34689 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34689, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 733 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wishing Well section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Wishing Well 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 Wishing Well, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
