Chapter 2 of A Japanese Nightingale is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Japanese Nightingale is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him. She broke it by remarking, very quietly: "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me." He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall. "Say, Ido, just step into the next room a minute, will you?"
Chapter 2 of A Japanese Nightingale is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.”
hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment
From this reading “He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.”
provided with a frame
From this reading “He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.”
an artificial language that is a revision and simplification of Esperanto
From this reading “"Say, Ido, just step into the next room a minute, will you?"”
impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to
From this reading “"Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."”
the act of giving a false appearance
From this reading “He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.”
-ing form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading “She broke it by remarking, very quietly:”
(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
From this reading “"Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."”
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 “He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.”
In this reading “"Say, Ido, just step into the next room a minute, will you?"”
In this reading “He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.”
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 He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
a public promotion of some product or service
From this reading "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."
lacking funds
From this reading She broke it by remarking, very quietly:
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She broke it by remarking, very quietly:
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
provided with a frame
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
only a very short time before
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
an artificial language that is a revision and simplification of Esperanto
From this reading "Say, Ido, just step into the next room a minute, will you?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to
From this reading "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Say, Ido, just step into the next room a minute, will you?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She broke it by remarking, very quietly:
and nothing more
From this reading "Say, Ido, just step into the next room a minute, will you?"
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."
engage in
From this reading "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading "Say, Ido, just step into the next room a minute, will you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."
immediately following in time or order
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
the act of giving a false appearance
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
with low volume
From this reading She broke it by remarking, very quietly:
-ing form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading She broke it by remarking, very quietly:
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Say, Ido, just step into the next room a minute, will you?"
express in words
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She broke it by remarking, very quietly:
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading "Say, Ido, just step into the next room a minute, will you?"
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
precisely as stated
From this reading She broke it by remarking, very quietly:
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
From this reading "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He hardly knew what to say next, and the silence grew embarrassing to him.
which person or people
From this reading He turned to the match-maker, who was pretending deep interest in a framed drawing on the wall.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Say, Ido, just step into the next room a minute, will you?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Nakoda inform me you wan' make liddle bit talk ad me."
Chapter 2 of A Japanese Nightingale by Onoto Watanna holds 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 455 sentences of A Japanese Nightingale, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Japanese Nightingale by Onoto Watanna exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Japanese Nightingale by Onoto Watanna on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2258 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63181 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63181, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 188 minutes of reading across 452 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Japanese Nightingale section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of A Japanese Nightingale 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 Japanese Nightingale, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
