Chapter 2 of Tumbleweeds is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Tumbleweeds is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver. “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail. Maybe you’d take me on for the summer.” “You was top hand for me once,” Younger returned. “And you could be again if you’d only stay at it.
Chapter 2 of Tumbleweeds is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
United States botanist and agricultural chemist who developed many uses for peanuts and soy beans and sweet potatoes (1864-1943)
From this reading “He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.”
an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole
From this reading ““Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.”
having a heading or course in a certain direction
From this reading “He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.”
a state of confusion and disorderliness
From this reading ““Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.”
past form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading “He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.”
plural of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading “He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.”
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading ““You was top hand for me once,” Younger returned.”
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.
reside temporarily
In this reading ““And you could be again if you’d only stay at it.”
break down, literally or metaphorically
In this reading “He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.”
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 “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
anew
From this reading “And you could be again if you’d only stay at it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “And you could be again if you’d only stay at it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
United States botanist and agricultural chemist who developed many uses for peanuts and soy beans and sweet potatoes (1864-1943)
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “And you could be again if you’d only stay at it.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Maybe you’d take me on for the summer.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “You was top hand for me once,” Younger returned.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
having a heading or course in a certain direction
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
by chance
From this reading Maybe you’d take me on for the summer.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Maybe you’d take me on for the summer.”
a state of confusion and disorderliness
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
past form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Maybe you’d take me on for the summer.”
on one occasion
From this reading “You was top hand for me once,” Younger returned.
and nothing more
From this reading “And you could be again if you’d only stay at it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “You was top hand for me once,” Younger returned.
plural of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
in the near future
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “And you could be again if you’d only stay at it.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Maybe you’d take me on for the summer.”
carry out
From this reading Maybe you’d take me on for the summer.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Maybe you’d take me on for the summer.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
the upper part of anything
From this reading “You was top hand for me once,” Younger returned.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “You was top hand for me once,” Younger returned.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He motioned his grinning riders to fall in behind him as he headed up country with Carver.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Then it does look as if I’d soon be out of a job,” Carver said, “if you go and mess up my detail.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maybe you’d take me on for the summer.”
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading “You was top hand for me once,” Younger returned.
Chapter 2 of Tumbleweeds by Hal G. (Hal George) Evarts holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 437 sentences of Tumbleweeds, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Tumbleweeds by Hal G. (Hal George) Evarts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Tumbleweeds by Hal G. (Hal George) Evarts 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 Tumbleweeds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Tumbleweeds 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 Tumbleweeds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
