Chapter 1 of Diana Tempest, Volume II is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Diana Tempest, Volume II is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them. It _is_ a noose, you know."--GEORGE ELIOT. It was the middle of July. The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse. The heat was intense.
Chapter 1 of Diana Tempest, Volume II is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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 highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding
From this reading “The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.”
an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion
From this reading “The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.”
British poet (born in the United States) who won the Nobel prize for literature; his plays are outstanding examples of modern verse drama (1888-1965)
From this reading “It _is_ a noose, you know."--GEORGE ELIOT.”
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading “The heat was intense.”
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading “The heat was intense.”
the month following June and preceding August
From this reading “It was the middle of July.”
a trap for birds or small mammals; often has a slip noose
From this reading “"The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.”
third-person singular of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading “The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.”
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 “The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.”
In this reading “"The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.”
In this reading “"The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.”
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 "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
the highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding
From this reading The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.
an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion
From this reading The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.
British poet (born in the United States) who won the Nobel prize for literature; his plays are outstanding examples of modern verse drama (1888-1965)
From this reading It _is_ a noose, you know."--GEORGE ELIOT.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading It _is_ a noose, you know."--GEORGE ELIOT.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading The heat was intense.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading The heat was intense.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It _is_ a noose, you know."--GEORGE ELIOT.
the month following June and preceding August
From this reading It was the middle of July.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It _is_ a noose, you know."--GEORGE ELIOT.
held dear
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading It was the middle of July.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
a trap for birds or small mammals; often has a slip noose
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the middle of July.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
third-person singular of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the middle of July.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "The fact is, I have never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The season had reached the climax which precedes a collapse.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It _is_ a noose, you know."--GEORGE ELIOT.
Chapter 1 of Diana Tempest, Volume II by Mary Cholmondeley holds 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 1 holds 96 sentences of Diana Tempest, Volume II, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Diana Tempest, Volume II by Mary Cholmondeley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 1 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 Diana Tempest, Volume II by Mary Cholmondeley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2517 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37974 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37974, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 209 minutes of reading across 504 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Diana Tempest, Volume II section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Diana Tempest, Volume II 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 Diana Tempest, Volume II, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
