Chapter 2 of True Blue is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of True Blue is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered." Sam soon appeared. Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father. The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group. Will kissed his child and held him for a moment in his grasp.
Chapter 2 of True Blue is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.”
growing close together but not in dense mats
From this reading “The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.”
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading “"Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."”
hold firmly
From this reading “Will kissed his child and held him for a moment in his grasp.”
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading “The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.”
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading “Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.”
past form of “number” — add up in number or quantity
From this reading “"Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “Sam soon appeared.”
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 "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
later than; following
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Sam soon appeared.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Will kissed his child and held him for a moment in his grasp.
growing close together but not in dense mats
From this reading The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Will kissed his child and held him for a moment in his grasp.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
hold firmly
From this reading Will kissed his child and held him for a moment in his grasp.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Will kissed his child and held him for a moment in his grasp.
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading Will kissed his child and held him for a moment in his grasp.
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
for more time
From this reading The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.
the force of workers available
From this reading The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.
a particular point in time
From this reading Will kissed his child and held him for a moment in his grasp.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
not any; not one
From this reading The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.
past form of “number” — add up in number or quantity
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Sam soon appeared.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading "Let him lie here," said he after a short examination; "his moments are numbered."
in the near future
From this reading Sam soon appeared.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Paul took Billy from him, and, kneeling down, held the baby to the lips of the dying father.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will kissed his child and held him for a moment in his grasp.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The men, no longer required to work the guns, clustered round the group.
Chapter 2 of True Blue by William Henry Giles Kingston holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of True Blue, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of True Blue by William Henry Giles Kingston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 True Blue by William Henry Giles Kingston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5155 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21481 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21481, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 429 minutes of reading across 1031 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through True Blue section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of True Blue 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 True Blue, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
