Chapter 2 of By Birth a Lady is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of By Birth a Lady is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"There, there--never mind that! I don't want you to marry him, Charley. And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand. "Go and have your ride, Charley! Good-bye!
Chapter 2 of By Birth a Lady is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading “And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.”
a man of refinement
From this reading “And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.”
a farewell remark
From this reading “Good-bye!”
take in marriage
From this reading “I don't want you to marry him, Charley.”
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “"Go and have your ride, Charley!”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.”
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading “And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.”
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 “And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.”
In this reading “And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't want you to marry him, Charley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't want you to marry him, Charley.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
a man of refinement
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Go and have your ride, Charley!
a farewell remark
From this reading Good-bye!
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Go and have your ride, Charley!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I don't want you to marry him, Charley.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't want you to marry him, Charley.
take in marriage
From this reading I don't want you to marry him, Charley.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading "There, there--never mind that!
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "There, there--never mind that!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading "Go and have your ride, Charley!
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "There, there--never mind that!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There, there--never mind that!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And there--there's Beauty at the door!" exclaimed the old gentleman, shaking his son's hand.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I don't want you to marry him, Charley.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I don't want you to marry him, Charley.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I don't want you to marry him, Charley.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Go and have your ride, Charley!
Chapter 2 of By Birth a Lady by George Manville Fenn holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of By Birth a Lady, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of By Birth a Lady by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 By Birth a Lady by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5344 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34142 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34142, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 445 minutes of reading across 1069 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through By Birth a Lady section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of By Birth a Lady 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 By Birth a Lady, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
