Chapter 2 of The X Bar X boys on the ranch is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The X Bar X boys on the ranch is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles. The road led downward now, and the going was easier. “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?” Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein. “Yep!
Chapter 2 of The X Bar X boys on the ranch is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 sound made by a hen (as in calling her chicks)
From this reading “A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.”
destructive of morale and self-reliance
From this reading “A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.”
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading “The road led downward now, and the going was easier.”
plural of “eagle” — any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight
From this reading “A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.”
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “The road led downward now, and the going was easier.”
possessive form of “general” — a general officer of the highest rank
control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading “Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.”
plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)
From this reading “Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.”
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 “The road led downward now, and the going was easier.”
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 “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?”
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The road led downward now, and the going was easier.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
the sound made by a hen (as in calling her chicks)
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?”
destructive of morale and self-reliance
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading The road led downward now, and the going was easier.
plural of “eagle” — any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading The road led downward now, and the going was easier.
possessive form of “general” — a general officer of the highest rank
From this reading Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
the act of departing
From this reading The road led downward now, and the going was easier.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?”
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading The road led downward now, and the going was easier.
something that is lost
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The road led downward now, and the going was easier.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading The road led downward now, and the going was easier.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?”
plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)
From this reading Teddy asked, as he pulled gently on General’s leading rein.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
in the direction of
From this reading A DISHEARTENING LOSS Clucking to their horses, the Manley boys proceeded toward Eagles.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The road led downward now, and the going was easier.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yep!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Speaking of the 8 X 8, did you hear what happened there?”
Chapter 2 of The X Bar X boys on the ranch by James Cody Ferris holds 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 191 sentences of The X Bar X boys on the ranch, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The X Bar X boys on the ranch by James Cody Ferris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 X Bar X boys on the ranch by James Cody Ferris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The X Bar X boys on the ranch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The X Bar X boys on the ranch 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 X Bar X boys on the ranch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
