Chapter 2 of Blair of Balaclava is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Blair of Balaclava is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A SCRIMMAGE IN THE OFFICE. ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’ ‘I couldn’t help it, Jenkins; it was quite an accident. Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over it.’ ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
Chapter 2 of Blair of Balaclava is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
-ing form of “blunder” — commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake
From this reading “‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’”
a cruelly rapacious person
From this reading “‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’”
lacking grace in movement or posture
From this reading “‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’”
put in the mind of someone
From this reading “‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’”
(American football) practice play between a football team's squads
From this reading “A SCRIMMAGE IN THE OFFICE.”
caught or fixed
From this reading “Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over it.’”
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over it.’”
performs some wicked deed
From this reading “‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’”
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 “Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over 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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SCRIMMAGE IN THE OFFICE.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading ‘I couldn’t help it, Jenkins; it was quite an accident.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading ‘I couldn’t help it, Jenkins; it was quite an accident.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over it.’
-ing form of “blunder” — commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
a cruelly rapacious person
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
lacking grace in movement or posture
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘I couldn’t help it, Jenkins; it was quite an accident.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over it.’
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading ‘I couldn’t help it, Jenkins; it was quite an accident.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘I couldn’t help it, Jenkins; it was quite an accident.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A SCRIMMAGE IN THE OFFICE.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘I couldn’t help it, Jenkins; it was quite an accident.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘I couldn’t help it, Jenkins; it was quite an accident.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
a form of address for a man
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
not one thing; not anything
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading A SCRIMMAGE IN THE OFFICE.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over it.’
above and across; more than
From this reading Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over it.’
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading ‘I couldn’t help it, Jenkins; it was quite an accident.
put in the mind of someone
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
(American football) practice play between a football team's squads
From this reading A SCRIMMAGE IN THE OFFICE.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
caught or fixed
From this reading Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over it.’
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over it.’
carry out
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A SCRIMMAGE IN THE OFFICE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘I couldn’t help it, Jenkins; it was quite an accident.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
performs some wicked deed
From this reading ‘It was nothing of the sort, you clumsy wretch; and take that to remind you that I’m _Mr_ Jenkins.’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading ‘You young brute, why don’t you mind what you’re doing, blundering about?’
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Your foot was stuck out, and I stumbled over it.’
Chapter 2 of Blair of Balaclava by Escott Lynn holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 137 sentences of Blair of Balaclava, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Blair of Balaclava by Escott Lynn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Blair of Balaclava by Escott Lynn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5231 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70820 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70820, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 435 minutes of reading across 1047 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blair of Balaclava section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Blair of Balaclava 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 Blair of Balaclava, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
