Chapter 2 of Chita: A Memory of Last Island is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Chita: A Memory of Last Island is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning. Could she come? No one really believed it,--no one. And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ... Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
Chapter 2 of Chita: A Memory of Last Island is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
arrival that has been awaited (especially of something momentous)
From this reading “Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.”
a person of European descent born in the West Indies or Latin America
From this reading “Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.”
plural of “island” — a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading “Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.”
possessive form of “mary” — the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.”
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading “And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...”
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading “The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.”
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading “And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...”
the present time or age
From this reading “Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.”
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.
arrival that has been awaited (especially of something momentous)
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
for the reason that
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading No one really believed it,--no one.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Could she come?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could she come?
a person of European descent born in the West Indies or Latin America
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
divisible by two
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
experiencing or showing fear
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
plural of “island” — a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading No one really believed it,--no one.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
possessive form of “mary” — the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
the force of workers available
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
in spite of what has just been said
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
not any; not one
From this reading No one really believed it,--no one.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one really believed it,--no one.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading No one really believed it,--no one.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Could she come?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
comparative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And nevertheless men struggled to the roaring beach to look for her, because hope is stronger than reason ...
the present time or age
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The steamer Star was due from St. Mary's that fearful morning.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Even today, in these Creole islands, the advent of the steamer is the great event of the week.
Chapter 2 of Chita: A Memory of Last Island by Lafcadio Hearn holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 162 sentences of Chita: A Memory of Last Island, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Chita: A Memory of Last Island by Lafcadio Hearn exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Chita: A Memory of Last Island by Lafcadio Hearn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1248 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #717 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #717, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 104 minutes of reading across 250 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Chita: A Memory of Last Island section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Chita: A Memory of Last Island 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 Chita: A Memory of Last Island, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
