Chapter 2 of Carmen's Messenger is here in full — 402 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 Carmen's Messenger is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I know nothing about them. In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind." Carmen gave him a level, critical glance. "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter. But that is not what I meant.
Chapter 2 of Carmen's Messenger is here in full — 402 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.
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading “Carmen gave him a level, critical glance.”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “"They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.”
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “Carmen gave him a level, critical glance.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.”
plural of “habit” — an established custom
From this reading “In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."”
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading “In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."”
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “Carmen gave him a level, critical glance.”
third-person singular of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading “In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."”
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 In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I know nothing about them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But that is not what I meant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Carmen gave him a level, critical glance.
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading Carmen gave him a level, critical glance.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
a social unit living together
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Carmen gave him a level, critical glance.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Carmen gave him a level, critical glance.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
plural of “habit” — an established custom
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Carmen gave him a level, critical glance.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I know nothing about them.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But that is not what I meant.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I know nothing about them.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading Carmen gave him a level, critical glance.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading But that is not what I meant.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But that is not what I meant.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "I know nothing about them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
on the contrary
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But that is not what I meant.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "I know nothing about them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
third-person singular of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading In fact, my ignorance of the habits of a good family rather weighs on my mind."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But that is not what I meant.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "They won't be able to find much fault with you, and if they did, you wouldn't guess it, so it wouldn't matter.
Chapter 2 of Carmen's Messenger by Harold Bindloss holds 402 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 402 sentences of Carmen's Messenger, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Carmen's Messenger by Harold Bindloss exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 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 Carmen's Messenger by Harold Bindloss on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5648 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14361 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14361, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 470 minutes of reading across 1130 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Carmen's Messenger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Carmen's Messenger 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 Carmen's Messenger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
