Chapter 2 of Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning. Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers. Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip. No good advice was offered by either father at parting. That had already been attended to.
Chapter 2 of Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment
From this reading “That had already been attended to.”
plural of “elder” — a person who is older than you are
From this reading “Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.”
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.”
the act of departing politely
From this reading “No good advice was offered by either father at parting.”
-ing form of “recruit” — register formally as a participant or member
From this reading “AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning.”
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading “Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.”
English actress (1847-1928)
From this reading “Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.”
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 Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
a proposal for an appropriate course of action
From this reading No good advice was offered by either father at parting.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading That had already been attended to.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning.
playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment
From this reading That had already been attended to.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading That had already been attended to.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading No good advice was offered by either father at parting.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
one or the other of two
From this reading No good advice was offered by either father at parting.
plural of “elder” — a person who is older than you are
From this reading Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading No good advice was offered by either father at parting.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading No good advice was offered by either father at parting.
the act of grasping
From this reading Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That had already been attended to.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
immediately past
From this reading Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning.
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
not any; not one
From this reading No good advice was offered by either father at parting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading No good advice was offered by either father at parting.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning.
and nothing more
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
the act of departing politely
From this reading No good advice was offered by either father at parting.
-ing form of “recruit” — register formally as a participant or member
From this reading AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
English actress (1847-1928)
From this reading Messrs. Overton and Terry, the elders, gave their sons' hands a last strong grip.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That had already been attended to.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading AT THE RECRUITING OFFICE THE solemn time came the following morning.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That had already been attended to.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No good advice was offered by either father at parting.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Both Hal and Noll were "only children," or, at least, so thought their mothers.
Chapter 2 of Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 176 sentences of Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3653 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27680 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27680, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 304 minutes of reading across 731 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks 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 Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
