Chapter 2 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake. “I'll sit with him now till the doctor comes. D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's? I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.” Sophie nodded, and fled toward the village.
Chapter 2 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 22/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 106–110
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 small house with a single story
From this reading “D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?”
in a serious manner
From this reading “She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.”
inflected form of “flee” — run away quickly
From this reading “Sophie nodded, and fled toward the village.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “Sophie nodded, and fled toward the village.”
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading “She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.”
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading “I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.””
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading “Sophie nodded, and fled toward the village.”
look attentively
From this reading “She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.”
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 I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.”
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “I'll sit with him now till the doctor comes.
a small house with a single story
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “I'll sit with him now till the doctor comes.
in a serious manner
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
inflected form of “flee” — run away quickly
From this reading Sophie nodded, and fled toward the village.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I'll sit with him now till the doctor comes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'll sit with him now till the doctor comes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
immediately following in time or order
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Sophie nodded, and fled toward the village.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “I'll sit with him now till the doctor comes.
on the contrary
From this reading I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.”
cut with a saw
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.”
be seated
From this reading “I'll sit with him now till the doctor comes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sophie nodded, and fled toward the village.
express in words
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I'll sit with him now till the doctor comes.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.”
up to a particular time
From this reading “I'll sit with him now till the doctor comes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I'm afraid this has been rather a shock to you.”
in the direction of
From this reading Sophie nodded, and fled toward the village.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading Sophie nodded, and fled toward the village.
look attentively
From this reading She looked at her watch earnestly and saw that her hand did not shake.
any flowering vine of the genus Wisteria
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I'll sit with him now till the doctor comes.
an affirmative
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading D'you think you could tell him, and--yes, Mrs. Betts in the cottage with the wistaria next the blacksmith's?
Chapter 2 of Actions and reactions by Rudyard Kipling holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 213 sentences of Actions and reactions, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Actions and reactions by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Actions and reactions by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4931 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2381 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2381, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 410 minutes of reading across 987 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Actions and reactions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Actions and reactions 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 Actions and reactions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
