Chapter 2 of A Ring of Rubies is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Ring of Rubies is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He turned and frowned at her. "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said. "Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left. He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech. "Our friend was eccentric.
Chapter 2 of A Ring of Rubies is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
comparative of “deeply” — to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading “He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.”
conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
From this reading “"Our friend was eccentric.”
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “He turned and frowned at her.”
make a break in
From this reading “"I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.”
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading “He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.”
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading “"Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “"Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.”
In this reading “"I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.”
In this reading “He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.”
In this reading “He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.”
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 got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
later than; following
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He turned and frowned at her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He turned and frowned at her.
comparative of “deeply” — to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
From this reading "Our friend was eccentric.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "Our friend was eccentric.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading He turned and frowned at her.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned and frowned at her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He turned and frowned at her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
make a break in
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.
a woman of refinement
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Our friend was eccentric.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.
past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading "Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Quite right, too," said the testy old man on the left.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned and frowned at her.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Our friend was eccentric.
which person or people
From this reading He got a deeper frown from the lawyer, who, after a moment's pause, resumed his speech.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I should feel obliged to you not to interrupt me, madam," he said.
Chapter 2 of A Ring of Rubies by L. T. Meade holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of A Ring of Rubies, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Ring of Rubies by L. T. Meade exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Ring of Rubies by L. T. Meade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4175 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43143 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43143, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 835 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Ring of Rubies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of A Ring of Rubies 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 Ring of Rubies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
