Chapter 2 of Anthony the Absolute is here in full — 397 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 Anthony the Absolute is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She stood close to me, watching the process. Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair. When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck. “You go 'way?” she whispered. “Yes,” said I, “I must go now.”
Chapter 2 of Anthony the Absolute is here in full — 397 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.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.”
indecision in speech or action
From this reading “When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.”
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading “When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.”
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading “When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.”
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading “Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.”
subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
From this reading “She stood close to me, watching the process.”
past form of “stroke” — touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
From this reading “Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.”
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “She stood close to me, watching the process.”
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 “When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.”
In this reading “She stood close to me, watching the process.”
to cause inconvenience or discomfort to
In this reading “Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading She stood close to me, watching the process.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “You go 'way?” she whispered.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
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 Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.
indecision in speech or action
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She stood close to me, watching the process.
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “Yes,” said I, “I must go now.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Yes,” said I, “I must go now.”
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
From this reading She stood close to me, watching the process.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes,” said I, “I must go now.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stood close to me, watching the process.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.
not in physical motion
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She stood close to me, watching the process.
past form of “stroke” — touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
From this reading Occasionally she put out her small hand and stroked my hair.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She stood close to me, watching the process.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She stood close to me, watching the process.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading She stood close to me, watching the process.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “You go 'way?” she whispered.
at the time that
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “You go 'way?” she whispered.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When I had done, she came still closer and, with momentary hesitation, placed her arms about my neck.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” said I, “I must go now.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You go 'way?” she whispered.
Chapter 2 of Anthony the Absolute by Samuel Merwin holds 397 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 397 sentences of Anthony the Absolute, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Anthony the Absolute by Samuel Merwin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 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 Anthony the Absolute by Samuel Merwin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5602 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52507 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52507, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 466 minutes of reading across 1121 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Anthony the Absolute section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Anthony the Absolute 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 Anthony the Absolute, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
