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A Thorny Path — Volume 02
A Thorny Path — Volume 02

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of A Thorny Path — Volume 02 is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/48 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The sun had risen an hour since.
Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.
He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.
His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"
"No," said the other woman, whose eyes were full of tears.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Thorny Path — Volume 02

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of A Thorny Path — Volume 02 is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/48 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The sun had risen an hour since.
/ðə sʌn hæd ˈrɪzən æn ˈaʊər sɪns/
Line 2
Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.
Line 3
He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.
Line 4
His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"
/hɪz kəmˈpænjən ˈdaɪdoʊ ə ˈsɪriən huːz ˈweɪvi waɪt her kənˈtræstəd ˈstreɪndʒli wɪð hɜːr dɑːrk skɪn ˈprezəntli keɪm ɪn ənd ˈstɑːrtɪŋ ʌp hiː ˈheɪstəli ˌɪnˈkwaɪərd nɑːt ɪn jet/
Line 5
"No," said the other woman, whose eyes were full of tears.
/noʊ sed ðə ˈʌðər ˈwʊmən huːz aɪz wɜːr fʊl ʌv terz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

contrasted verb US /kənˈtræstəd/

past form of “contrast” — put in opposition to show or emphasize differences

From this reading “His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"”

Dido noun US /ˈdaɪdoʊ/

(Roman mythology) a princess of Tyre who was the founder and queen of Carthage; Virgil tells of her suicide when she was abandoned by Aeneas

From this reading “His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"”

dill noun US /dɪl/

aromatic Old World herb having aromatic threadlike foliage and seeds used as seasoning

From this reading “He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.”

Heron noun US /ˈherən/

Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)

From this reading “Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.”

pinch verb US /pɪntʃ/

squeeze tightly between the fingers

From this reading “He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.”

Syrian adjective US /ˈsɪriən/

of or relating to or characteristic of Syria or its people or culture

From this reading “His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"”

wavy adjective US /ˈweɪvi/

(of hair) having waves

From this reading “His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"”

workshop noun US /ˈwɜːrkʃɑːp/

small workplace where handcrafts or manufacturing are done

From this reading “Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The sun had risen an hour since.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

Argutis

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

barley-porridge

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

betaken

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

companionnounUS /kəmˈpænjən/

a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

contrastedverbUS /kənˈtræstəd/

past form of “contrast” — put in opposition to show or emphasize differences

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

DidonounUS /ˈdaɪdoʊ/

(Roman mythology) a princess of Tyre who was the founder and queen of Carthage; Virgil tells of her suicide when she was abandoned by Aeneas

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

dillnounUS /dɪl/

aromatic Old World herb having aromatic threadlike foliage and seeds used as seasoning

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

droppedverbUS /drɑːpt/

inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading "No," said the other woman, whose eyes were full of tears.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading "No," said the other woman, whose eyes were full of tears.

graynounUS /ɡreɪ/

a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The sun had risen an hour since.

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

hastilyadverbUS /ˈheɪstəli/

in a hurried or hasty manner

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

hearthnounUS /hɑːrθ/

an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

HeronnounUS /ˈherən/

Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading The sun had risen an hour since.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

inquiredverbUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪərd/

past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

kitchennounUS /ˈkɪtʃən/

a room equipped for preparing meals

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

master'snounUS /ˈmæstərz/

possessive form of “master” — an artist of consummate skill

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

mealnounUS /miːl/

the food served and eaten at one time

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "No," said the other woman, whose eyes were full of tears.

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading "No," said the other woman, whose eyes were full of tears.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

pinchverbUS /pɪntʃ/

squeeze tightly between the fingers

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

preparingverbUS /priˈperɪŋ/

-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

presentlyadverbUS /ˈprezəntli/

in the near future

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

risenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪzən/

(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon

From this reading The sun had risen an hour since.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "No," said the other woman, whose eyes were full of tears.

shooknounUS /ʃʊk/

a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading The sun had risen an hour since.

skinnounUS /skɪn/

a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

slavenounUS /sleɪv/

a person who is owned by someone

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

solemnlyadverbUS /ˈsɔːləmli/

in a grave and sedate manner

From this reading He dropped a pinch of dill into the barley-porridge, and shook his gray head solemnly.

standingadjectiveUS /ˈstændɪŋ/

having a supporting base

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

startingadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtɪŋ/

(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

strangelyadverbUS /ˈstreɪndʒli/

in a strange manner

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

sunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading The sun had risen an hour since.

SyrianadjectiveUS /ˈsɪriən/

of or relating to or characteristic of Syria or its people or culture

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

tearsnounUS /terz/

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading "No," said the other woman, whose eyes were full of tears.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The sun had risen an hour since.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

wavyadjectiveUS /ˈweɪvi/

(of hair) having waves

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "No," said the other woman, whose eyes were full of tears.

whistlingnounUS /ˈwɪslɪŋ/

the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading "No," said the other woman, whose eyes were full of tears.

workshopnounUS /ˈwɜːrkʃɑːp/

small workplace where handcrafts or manufacturing are done

From this reading Heron had betaken himself to his workshop, whistling as he went, and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was standing over the hearth preparing his master's morning meal.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading His companion Dido, a Syrian, whose wavy white hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin, presently came in, and, starting up, he hastily inquired, "Not in yet?"

Chapter 2 of A Thorny Path — Volume 02 by Georg Ebers holds 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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.

What does chapter 2 of A Thorny Path — Volume 02 contain?

Chapter 2 holds 244 sentences of A Thorny Path — Volume 02, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of A Thorny Path — Volume 02 by Georg Ebers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of A Thorny Path — Volume 02?

Work through the 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 49 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading A Thorny Path — Volume 02

Common questions about reading A Thorny Path — Volume 02 by Georg Ebers on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Thorny Path — Volume 02?

Yes. All 743 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5531 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Thorny Path — Volume 02 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5531, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Thorny Path — Volume 02 take to read?

About 61 minutes of reading across 149 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Thorny Path — Volume 02 section by section

How to work through A Thorny Path — Volume 02 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in A Thorny Path — Volume 02

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Thorny Path — Volume 02, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Crowds
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Thorny Path — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Homeward
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Thorny Path — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bound
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Thorny Path — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Spirits
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Thorny Path — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.