Chapter 2 of Three millions! 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 Three millions! is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. ELIOT BUCKSTONE. The view from Poppleton Point was very fine. A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots. He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
Chapter 2 of Three millions! 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.
British poet (born in the United States) who won the Nobel prize for literature; his plays are outstanding examples of modern verse drama (1888-1965)
From this reading “ELIOT BUCKSTONE.”
of or relating to the sea
From this reading “A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.”
an artist who paints
From this reading “A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.”
past form of “pardon” — accept an excuse for
From this reading “He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.”
obtain a patent for
From this reading “A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.”
preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading “A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.”
covered with bright patches (often used in combination)
From this reading “A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.”
a pesticide in suspension or solution; intended for spraying
From this reading “A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.”
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.
leather with a hard glossy surface
In this reading “A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.”
In this reading “He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.”
In this reading “A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.”
In this reading “A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.”
In this reading “He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.”
In this reading “He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.”
In this reading “A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.”
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 A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
giving or marked by complete attention to
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ELIOT BUCKSTONE.
British poet (born in the United States) who won the Nobel prize for literature; his plays are outstanding examples of modern verse drama (1888-1965)
From this reading ELIOT BUCKSTONE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading The view from Poppleton Point was very fine.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The view from Poppleton Point was very fine.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
of or relating to the sea
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
an artist who paints
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
past form of “pardon” — accept an excuse for
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
obtain a patent for
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading The view from Poppleton Point was very fine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The view from Poppleton Point was very fine.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
covered with bright patches (often used in combination)
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
a pesticide in suspension or solution; intended for spraying
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The view from Poppleton Point was very fine.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
precisely as stated
From this reading The view from Poppleton Point was very fine.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading The view from Poppleton Point was very fine.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The view from Poppleton Point was very fine.
(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 He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
in or at the place that
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A marine painter sat making a sketch where the spray from the sea which beat upon the rocks below spattered his patent leather boots.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading He was wholly absorbed in his work, and one with a taste for the grand and beautiful, engaged in such a task, might well be pardoned for knowing nothing else.
Chapter 2 of Three millions! by Oliver Optic 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 Three millions!, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Three millions! by Oliver Optic 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Three millions!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
