Chapter 2 of A Top-Floor Idyl is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Top-Floor Idyl is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely. "My God! What shall I do?" It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing. In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
Chapter 2 of A Top-Floor Idyl is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading “FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely.”
a man who has never been married
From this reading “In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.”
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading “In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.”
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading “In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.”
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading “In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.”
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading “It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.”
someone who lives at a particular place for a prolonged period or who was born there
From this reading “It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.”
past form of “surmise” — infer from incomplete evidence
From this reading “It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.”
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, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.”
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 In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
a man who has never been married
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What shall I do?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "My God!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely.
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What shall I do?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
immediately past
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My God!
someone who lives at a particular place for a prolonged period or who was born there
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading What shall I do?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
that is looked for
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
past form of “surmise” — infer from incomplete evidence
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In my dismay the desperate thought came to me that a lonely bachelor was the last individual she should have sought aid from.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was, as I had surmised, the Murillo-faced occupant of the room on the other side of the landing.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What shall I do?"
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading FRIEDA THE ANGEL "Please help me!" cried the woman hoarsely.
Chapter 2 of A Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick holds 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 251 sentences of A Top-Floor Idyl, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5186 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33218 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33218, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 432 minutes of reading across 1038 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Top-Floor Idyl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of A Top-Floor Idyl 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 Top-Floor Idyl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
