Chapter 2 of Barren Ground is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Barren Ground is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, they've been there always. But most of the other farmers are tenants. Pa says that's why the land has gone bad. No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land." "That's the curse of the tenant system.
Chapter 2 of Barren Ground is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “Pa says that's why the land has gone bad.”
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “"That's the curse of the tenant system.”
plural of “farmer” — a person who operates a farm
From this reading “But most of the other farmers are tenants.”
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading “Pa says that's why the land has gone bad.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."”
instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity
From this reading “"That's the curse of the tenant system.”
someone who pays rent to use land or a building or a car that is owned by someone else
From this reading “"That's the curse of the tenant system.”
plural of “tenant” — someone who pays rent to use land or a building or a car that is owned by someone else
From this reading “But most of the other farmers are tenants.”
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.
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "Oh, they've been there always.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But most of the other farmers are tenants.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Pa says that's why the land has gone bad.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Oh, they've been there always.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But most of the other farmers are tenants.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading "That's the curse of the tenant system.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."
plural of “farmer” — a person who operates a farm
From this reading But most of the other farmers are tenants.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Pa says that's why the land has gone bad.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Pa says that's why the land has gone bad.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading Pa says that's why the land has gone bad.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."
used to form the superlative
From this reading But most of the other farmers are tenants.
not any; not one
From this reading No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But most of the other farmers are tenants.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, they've been there always.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading But most of the other farmers are tenants.
above and across; more than
From this reading No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Pa says that's why the land has gone bad.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Pa says that's why the land has gone bad.
a person, without saying who
From this reading No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."
instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity
From this reading "That's the curse of the tenant system.
someone who pays rent to use land or a building or a car that is owned by someone else
From this reading "That's the curse of the tenant system.
plural of “tenant” — someone who pays rent to use land or a building or a car that is owned by someone else
From this reading But most of the other farmers are tenants.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pa says that's why the land has gone bad.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But most of the other farmers are tenants.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Oh, they've been there always.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, they've been there always.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Pa says that's why the land has gone bad.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading No man will work himself to death over somebody else's land."
Chapter 2 of Barren Ground by Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of Barren Ground, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Barren Ground by Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Barren Ground by Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9424 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66191 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66191, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1885 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Barren Ground section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Barren Ground 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 Barren Ground, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
