Chapter 2 of Charles Duran is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Charles Duran is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BIRTH OF CHARLES. The birth of Charles was an occasion of great joy in Mr. Duran's family. Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received. Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life. To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
Chapter 2 of Charles Duran is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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 time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading “THE BIRTH OF CHARLES.”
plural of “blessing” — the formal act of approving
From this reading “Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.”
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading “To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.”
many times at short intervals
From this reading “Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.”
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading “Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.”
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading “Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life.”
past form of “prize” — hold dear
From this reading “Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.”
inflected form of “withhold” — hold back; refuse to hand over or share
From this reading “Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The birth of Charles was an occasion of great joy in Mr. Duran's family.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading THE BIRTH OF CHARLES.
plural of “blessing” — the formal act of approving
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
brought into existence
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading THE BIRTH OF CHARLES.
a young person of either sex
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life.
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The birth of Charles was an occasion of great joy in Mr. Duran's family.
a social unit living together
From this reading The birth of Charles was an occasion of great joy in Mr. Duran's family.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The birth of Charles was an occasion of great joy in Mr. Duran's family.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life.
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The birth of Charles was an occasion of great joy in Mr. Duran's family.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading The birth of Charles was an occasion of great joy in Mr. Duran's family.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
a form of address for a man
From this reading The birth of Charles was an occasion of great joy in Mr. Duran's family.
not any; not one
From this reading Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading The birth of Charles was an occasion of great joy in Mr. Duran's family.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BIRTH OF CHARLES.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Mr. Duran had no children, and was now past the meridian of life.
past form of “prize” — hold dear
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BIRTH OF CHARLES.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To him this child seemed like one born out of due time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The birth of Charles was an occasion of great joy in Mr. Duran's family.
at the time that
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
inflected form of “withhold” — hold back; refuse to hand over or share
From this reading Blessings long withheld are frequently more highly prized when at length received.
Chapter 2 of Charles Duran by Unknown holds 31 sentences, grouped into 7 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 31 sentences of Charles Duran, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Charles Duran by Unknown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 31 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 Charles Duran by Unknown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Charles Duran section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Charles Duran 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 Charles Duran, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
