Chapter 2 of Beyond the Gates is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Beyond the Gates is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I looked about and abroad. My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends. I did not know them. They had great brightness and beauty of appearance. So, also, had he.
Chapter 2 of Beyond the Gates is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading “I looked about and abroad.”
in addition
From this reading “So, also, had he.”
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading “They had great brightness and beauty of appearance.”
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading “They had great brightness and beauty of appearance.”
the location of a visual perception along a continuum from black to white
From this reading “They had great brightness and beauty of appearance.”
-ing form of “converse” — carry on a conversation
From this reading “My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.”
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading “My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.”
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.”
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 “My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.”
In this reading “My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.”
In this reading “I looked about and abroad.”
In this reading “My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.”
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 My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I looked about and abroad.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading I looked about and abroad.
in addition
From this reading So, also, had he.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I looked about and abroad.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading They had great brightness and beauty of appearance.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading They had great brightness and beauty of appearance.
the location of a visual perception along a continuum from black to white
From this reading They had great brightness and beauty of appearance.
-ing form of “converse” — carry on a conversation
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did not know them.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading They had great brightness and beauty of appearance.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had great brightness and beauty of appearance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So, also, had he.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I looked about and abroad.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I did not know them.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I looked about and abroad.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I did not know them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They had great brightness and beauty of appearance.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So, also, had he.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I did not know them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had great brightness and beauty of appearance.
in the company of; together with
From this reading My father stood at a little distance from me, conversing with some friends.
Chapter 2 of Beyond the Gates by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 427 sentences of Beyond the Gates, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Beyond the Gates by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Beyond the Gates by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2542 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54060 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54060, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 211 minutes of reading across 509 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Beyond the Gates section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Beyond the Gates 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 Beyond the Gates, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
