Chapter 2 of Checkmate is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Checkmate is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. LONGCLUSE OPENS HIS HEART. The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night. The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees. Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
Chapter 2 of Checkmate is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading “Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.”
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading “Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.”
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading “The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.”
a servant who is employed to perform domestic task in a household
From this reading “The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.”
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading “LONGCLUSE OPENS HIS HEART.”
sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors
From this reading “The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.”
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading “Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.”
be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading “The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.”
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 a lengthy or prolix manner
In this reading “Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.”
In this reading “The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.”
In this reading “The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.”
be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful
In this reading “The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.”
In this reading “The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.”
In this reading “The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.”
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 The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading LONGCLUSE OPENS HIS HEART.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading LONGCLUSE OPENS HIS HEART.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
a servant who is employed to perform domestic task in a household
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONGCLUSE OPENS HIS HEART.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading LONGCLUSE OPENS HIS HEART.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
above and across; more than
From this reading The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.
sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.
be standing; be upright
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The stars shine down over the foliage of huge old trees.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
which person or people
From this reading Dim as shadows stand the horse and tax-cart that await Mr. Longcluse and Richard Arden, who now at length appear.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading The old housekeeper had drawn near her window, and stood close to the pane, through which she looked out upon the star-lit night.
Chapter 2 of Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 218 sentences of Checkmate, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9388 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38460 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38460, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1878 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Checkmate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Checkmate 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 Checkmate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
