Chapter 2 of Aylwin is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Aylwin is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?' The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her. Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice. 'Yes, I do.' I said.
Chapter 2 of Aylwin is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'”
the human act of creating
From this reading “Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.”
plural of “lord” — terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.”
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.”
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading “The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.”
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading “The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.”
lacking kindness
From this reading “Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.”
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'”
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 The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
the human act of creating
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading 'Yes, I do.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
a young female
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
plural of “lord” — terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
in a meditative manner
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
the force of workers available
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
a particular point in time
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
lacking kindness
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Nature of course has been unkind to the lords and ladies of creation in this one matter of voice.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
in the company of; together with
From this reading The idea had never occurred to me before, but I understood in a moment what she meant, and sympathised with her.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
an affirmative
From this reading 'Yes, I do.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Don't you wish,' said the little girl meditatively, 'that men and women had voices more like the birds?'
Chapter 2 of Aylwin by Theodore Watts-Dunton holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 393 sentences of Aylwin, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Aylwin by Theodore Watts-Dunton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Aylwin by Theodore Watts-Dunton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8713 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13454 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13454, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1743 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Aylwin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Aylwin 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 Aylwin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
