Chapter 2 of Voice from the Cave is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Voice from the Cave is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died. Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot. Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door. "Mrs. Deline!" she cried. Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.
Chapter 2 of Voice from the Cave is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading “Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.”
having or manifesting hope
From this reading “Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.”
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading “Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.”
space in which vehicles can be parked
From this reading “Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.”
past form of “race” — move hurridly
From this reading “Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.”
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading “Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.”
past form of “sputter” — make an explosive sound
From this reading “The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.”
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.
In this reading “Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.”
In this reading “Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.”
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 The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
anew
From this reading Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
the act of grasping
From this reading Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Mrs. Deline!" she cried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mrs. Deline!" she cried.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
having or manifesting hope
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
and nothing more
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
a particular point in time
From this reading The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Mrs. Deline!" she cried.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
space in which vehicles can be parked
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
past form of “race” — move hurridly
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.
past form of “sputter” — make an explosive sound
From this reading The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.
not in physical motion
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The engine, evidently cold, sputtered a moment, then died.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Hopeful that she might still get there in time, Penny raced across the parking lot.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Reaching the car just as it started to move backwards, she jerked open the door.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Startled, the woman released the clutch so suddenly that the motor died again.
Chapter 2 of Voice from the Cave by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 394 sentences of Voice from the Cave, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Voice from the Cave by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Voice from the Cave by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3996 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34832 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34832, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 333 minutes of reading across 800 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Voice from the Cave section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Voice from the Cave 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 Voice from the Cave, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
