Chapter 2 of Abbey is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Abbey is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TRYING AGAIN. ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread. She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be. What was the use? She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
Chapter 2 of Abbey is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
a church associated with a monastery or convent
From this reading “ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.”
plural of “answer” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.”
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading “ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.”
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading “She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.”
the act of mixing together
From this reading “ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.”
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.”
shaken into waves or undulations as by wind
From this reading “She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.”
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading “ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.”
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 “ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.”
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 She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
a church associated with a monastery or convent
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
anew
From this reading TRYING AGAIN.
(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 She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
plural of “answer” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
the act of mixing together
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
not one, and not any
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
shaken into waves or undulations as by wind
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
hard to endure
From this reading TRYING AGAIN.
the act of using
From this reading What was the use?
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
precisely as stated
From this reading She was not in the least ruffled by the events of the morning, and thought it very strange that any one else should be.
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What was the use?
in or at the place that
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She made various remarks by way of beginning a conversation, to which she got very short answers, or none at all.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading ABBEY took her work and went down into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ward was mixing her bread.
Chapter 2 of Abbey by Lucy Ellen Guernsey holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 216 sentences of Abbey, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Abbey by Lucy Ellen Guernsey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Abbey by Lucy Ellen Guernsey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1019 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76232 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76232, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 84 minutes of reading across 204 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Abbey section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Abbey 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 Abbey, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
