Chapter 2 of Under Canvas is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Under Canvas is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!" George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time. "Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby. Get a grip on the linth, Elmer, and help him pull. Oh! what a quack I got then on my head.
Chapter 2 of Under Canvas is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
past form of “flounder” — walk with great difficulty
From this reading “George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.”
coarse jute fabric
From this reading “George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.”
an untrained person who pretends to be a physician and who dispenses medical advice
From this reading “Oh! what a quack I got then on my head.”
plural of “sack” — a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading “George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.”
plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.”
-ing form of “straddle” — sit or stand astride of
From this reading “George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.”
a drinking mug in the shape of a stout man wearing a three-cornered hat
From this reading “WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"”
shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm
From this reading “"Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby.”
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.
the middle or central part or point
In this reading “George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.”
travelling about
In this reading “WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"”
In this reading “Get a grip on the linth, Elmer, and help him pull.”
In this reading “George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.”
In this reading “George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.”
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 "Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Get a grip on the linth, Elmer, and help him pull.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Get a grip on the linth, Elmer, and help him pull.
past form of “flounder” — walk with great difficulty
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Get a grip on the linth, Elmer, and help him pull.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Oh! what a quack I got then on my head.
the act of grasping
From this reading Get a grip on the linth, Elmer, and help him pull.
coarse jute fabric
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Oh! what a quack I got then on my head.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Get a grip on the linth, Elmer, and help him pull.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading "Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Oh! what a quack I got then on my head.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Get a grip on the linth, Elmer, and help him pull.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Oh! what a quack I got then on my head.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh! what a quack I got then on my head.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading Get a grip on the linth, Elmer, and help him pull.
an untrained person who pretends to be a physician and who dispenses medical advice
From this reading Oh! what a quack I got then on my head.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"
plural of “sack” — a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
-ing form of “straddle” — sit or stand astride of
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Oh! what a quack I got then on my head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
a drinking mug in the shape of a stout man wearing a three-cornered hat
From this reading WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD "HOLD her in, Toby!"
shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm
From this reading "Whoop! we ain't in thuch a hurry ath all that, Toby.
in the company of; together with
From this reading George was heard to shout, as he floundered around in the midst of the gunny sacks, with the other two scouts straddling him half the time.
Chapter 2 of Under Canvas by Alan, Captain Douglas holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 90 sentences of Under Canvas, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Under Canvas by Alan, Captain Douglas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Under Canvas by Alan, Captain Douglas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1768 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38299 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38299, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 147 minutes of reading across 354 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Under Canvas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Under Canvas 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 Under Canvas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
