Chapter 2 of Wilderness Babies is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Wilderness Babies is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother. They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails. They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes. Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea. The baby and his mother belonged to the herd now.
Chapter 2 of Wilderness Babies is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
plural of “fin” — the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.”
past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading “They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.”
a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans
From this reading “The baby and his mother belonged to the herd now.”
moving slowly and gently
From this reading “Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.”
plural of “nose” — the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading “They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.”
the act of swimming
From this reading “When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.”
formalwear consisting of full evening dress for men
From this reading “They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.”
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading “They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes.”
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.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.”
In this reading “Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.”
to lag or linger behind
In this reading “When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading The baby and his mother belonged to the herd now.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading The baby and his mother belonged to the herd now.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes.
the act of consuming food
From this reading Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.
opinion or judgment
From this reading They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes.
plural of “fin” — the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans
From this reading The baby and his mother belonged to the herd now.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
moving slowly and gently
From this reading Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
plural of “nose” — the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
uttered with a trill
From this reading Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes.
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.
the act of swimming
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
formalwear consisting of full evening dress for men
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes.
arousing affect
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
in the direction of
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading They twisted around so as to see him with their dull little eyes.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling on the surface of the sea.
at the time that
From this reading When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his mother.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They glided about him, now and then touching him with their fins, noses, or tails.
Chapter 2 of Wilderness Babies by Julia Augusta Schwartz holds 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 445 sentences of Wilderness Babies, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Wilderness Babies by Julia Augusta Schwartz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Wilderness Babies by Julia Augusta Schwartz on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1759 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55704 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55704, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 146 minutes of reading across 352 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wilderness Babies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Wilderness Babies 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 Wilderness Babies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
