Chapter 2 of A Bird of Passage, and Other Stories is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Bird of Passage, and Other Stories is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses. "You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one. "You know well you didn’t pay the missus!" "Go for him! go for him!" was the cry. Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.
Chapter 2 of A Bird of Passage, and Other Stories is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
a rattling noise (often produced by rapid movement)
From this reading “There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.”
fall or come down violently
From this reading “There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.”
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading “There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.”
plural of “gypsy” — a laborer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment
From this reading “"You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.”
informal term of address for someone's wife
From this reading “"You know well you didn’t pay the missus!"”
arrange in a container
From this reading “"You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.”
plural of “stool” — a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading “There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.”
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 “Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.”
In this reading “"You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.”
In this reading “There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.”
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 There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.
a rattling noise (often produced by rapid movement)
From this reading There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.
fall or come down violently
From this reading There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Go for him! go for him!" was the cry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You know well you didn’t pay the missus!"
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Go for him! go for him!" was the cry.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Go for him! go for him!" was the cry.
plural of “gypsy” — a laborer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment
From this reading "You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Go for him! go for him!" was the cry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "You know well you didn’t pay the missus!"
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading "You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.
informal term of address for someone's wife
From this reading "You know well you didn’t pay the missus!"
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.
arrange in a container
From this reading "You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading "You know well you didn’t pay the missus!"
done under pressure
From this reading Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading "You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.
plural of “stool” — a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You know well you didn’t pay the missus!"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the parlor door was flung open and Mrs. Benbow rushed in.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a clatter of stools and a crash of glasses.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "You know well you didn’t pay the missus!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are a pack of lying gypsies!" sang out some one.
Chapter 2 of A Bird of Passage, and Other Stories by Beatrice Harraden holds 444 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 444 sentences of A Bird of Passage, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Bird of Passage, and Other Stories by Beatrice Harraden exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 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 A Bird of Passage, and Other Stories by Beatrice Harraden on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1778 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44322 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44322, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 148 minutes of reading across 356 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Bird of Passage, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of A Bird of Passage, and Other Stories 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 A Bird of Passage, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
