Chapter 2 of A golden thread is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A golden thread is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Corporal" Bannister. "CORPORAL, I want to speak to you." It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke. In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer: "All right, sergeant, I'm coming."
Chapter 2 of A golden thread is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading “In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:”
English runner who in 1954 became the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes (born in 1929)
From this reading “"Corporal" Bannister.”
a noncommissioned officer in the Army or Air Force or Marines
From this reading “"Corporal" Bannister.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:”
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading “It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.”
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading “In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.”
a person who makes or repairs shoes
From this reading “It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.”
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 “In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:”
In this reading “It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.”
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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:
(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 "All right, sergeant, I'm coming."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:
react verbally
From this reading In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
English runner who in 1954 became the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes (born in 1929)
From this reading "Corporal" Bannister.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "All right, sergeant, I'm coming."
a noncommissioned officer in the Army or Air Force or Marines
From this reading "Corporal" Bannister.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "CORPORAL, I want to speak to you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "All right, sergeant, I'm coming."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "All right, sergeant, I'm coming."
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
a person who makes or repairs shoes
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
express in speech
From this reading "CORPORAL, I want to speak to you."
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "CORPORAL, I want to speak to you."
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "CORPORAL, I want to speak to you."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
which person or people
From this reading It was Henry Henderson, the shoemaker, or "The old Sergeant," as he was known in the village, who spoke.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In an instant Frank, whom he addressed, made answer:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "CORPORAL, I want to speak to you."
Chapter 2 of A golden thread by Marian Isabel Hurrell holds 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 96 sentences of A golden thread, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A golden thread by Marian Isabel Hurrell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 golden thread by Marian Isabel Hurrell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 999 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76385 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76385, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 83 minutes of reading across 200 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A golden thread section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of A golden thread 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 golden thread, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
