Chapter 2 of Balcony Stories is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Balcony Stories is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Is this the miracle chapel, little boy?" "Yes, ma'am; yes." Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious. "Here. Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
Chapter 2 of Balcony Stories is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
eagerly desirous
From this reading “Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.”
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading “Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.”
a place of worship that has its own altar
From this reading “"Is this the miracle chapel, little boy?"”
make up
From this reading “Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.”
a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something
From this reading “Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “"Yes, ma'am; yes."”
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading “"Is this the miracle chapel, little boy?"”
try to get or reach
From this reading “Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.”
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.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Is this the miracle chapel, little boy?"
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
a place of worship that has its own altar
From this reading "Is this the miracle chapel, little boy?"
make up
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
only a very short time before
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Here.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is this the miracle chapel, little boy?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Is this the miracle chapel, little boy?"
a woman of refinement
From this reading "Yes, ma'am; yes."
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading "Is this the miracle chapel, little boy?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
try to get or reach
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
carry out
From this reading Take this--" He did not hold out his hand, the coin had to seek it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Is this the miracle chapel, little boy?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Is this the miracle chapel, little boy?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, ma'am; yes."
but in spite of that
From this reading Then his expression changed to one of eagerness, yet hardly less anxious.
Chapter 2 of Balcony Stories by Grace Elizabeth King holds 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 449 sentences of Balcony Stories, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Balcony Stories by Grace Elizabeth King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Balcony Stories by Grace Elizabeth King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1806 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11514 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11514, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 150 minutes of reading across 362 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Balcony Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Balcony Stories 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 Balcony Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
