Chapter 2 of A Tale of Red Pekin is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Tale of Red Pekin is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE LETTER FROM PEKIN. Mr. St. John might well look grave. "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear." Yes, this text was being fulfilled. It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
Chapter 2 of A Tale of Red Pekin is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading “It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.”
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading “It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.”
psychological suffering
From this reading “"Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."”
a flaw or weak point
From this reading “"Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."”
completed to perfection
From this reading “Yes, this text was being fulfilled.”
a public toilet for men
plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “"Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."”
the words of something written
From this reading “Yes, this text was being fulfilled.”
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 “It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.”
without delay or immediately
In this reading “It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.”
In this reading “Mr. St. John might well look grave.”
In this reading “"Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."”
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.
(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 It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
Having no one else present.
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Yes, this text was being fulfilled.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
psychological suffering
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE LETTER FROM PEKIN.
completed to perfection
From this reading Yes, this text was being fulfilled.
death of a person
From this reading Mr. St. John might well look grave.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Mr. St. John might well look grave.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading THE LETTER FROM PEKIN.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mr. St. John might well look grave.
a public toilet for men
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Mr. St. John might well look grave.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. St. John might well look grave.
plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE LETTER FROM PEKIN.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. St. John might well look grave.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
the words of something written
From this reading Yes, this text was being fulfilled.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LETTER FROM PEKIN.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Yes, this text was being fulfilled.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "Upon the earth distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear."
precisely as stated
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Yes, this text was being fulfilled.
(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 Mr. St. John might well look grave.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was all very well for people in England to read of the awful things that were taking place in China, but to be on the spot—alone.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, this text was being fulfilled.
Chapter 2 of A Tale of Red Pekin by Constancia Serjeant holds 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 106 sentences of A Tale of Red Pekin, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Tale of Red Pekin by Constancia Serjeant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 Tale of Red Pekin by Constancia Serjeant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1118 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41951 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41951, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 93 minutes of reading across 224 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Tale of Red Pekin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of A Tale of Red Pekin 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 Tale of Red Pekin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
