Chapter 2 of An Original Belle is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of An Original Belle is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A NEW FRIEND. "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman? How much do you mean?" "I wish you would help me find out, papa." "How! don't you know?"
Chapter 2 of An Original Belle is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
for a short time
From this reading “"MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?”
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading “"MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?”
following accepted customs and proprieties
From this reading “"MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?”
spoken with emphasis
From this reading “"MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?”
of or relating to or venerating the Virgin Mary
From this reading “"MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?”
characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features
From this reading “"MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"I wish you would help me find out, papa."”
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading “"MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?”
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 A NEW FRIEND.
later than; following
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
for a short time
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
following accepted customs and proprieties
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading How much do you mean?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How! don't you know?"
spoken with emphasis
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "I wish you would help me find out, papa."
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading A NEW FRIEND.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "I wish you would help me find out, papa."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How much do you mean?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "How! don't you know?"
of or relating to or venerating the Virgin Mary
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I wish you would help me find out, papa."
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading How much do you mean?"
characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A NEW FRIEND.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I wish you would help me find out, papa."
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "I wish you would help me find out, papa."
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
at the time that
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I wish you would help me find out, papa."
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I wish you would help me find out, papa."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "MARIAN," asked her father, after smoking awhile in silence, "what did you mean by your emphatic negative when I asked you if you were not content to be a conventional woman?
Chapter 2 of An Original Belle by Edward Payson Roe holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of An Original Belle, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of An Original Belle by Edward Payson Roe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 An Original Belle by Edward Payson Roe on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8851 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5437 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5437, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1771 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Original Belle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of An Original Belle 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 An Original Belle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
