Chapter 2 of Empire Builders is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Empire Builders is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He gave in because he had to. "You are much more lenient than I deserve. Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness. It would serve me right." "I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.
Chapter 2 of Empire Builders is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
From this reading “Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.”
-ing form of “consider” — deem to be
From this reading “"I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.”
be worthy or deserving
From this reading “"You are much more lenient than I deserve.”
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading “"I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.”
tolerant or lenient
From this reading “"You are much more lenient than I deserve.”
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading “"I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.”
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading “Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.”
in a wistful manner
From this reading “"I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.”
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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are much more lenient than I deserve.
unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
From this reading Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.
for the reason that
From this reading He gave in because he had to.
-ing form of “consider” — deem to be
From this reading "I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.
be worthy or deserving
From this reading "You are much more lenient than I deserve.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading "I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He gave in because he had to.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He gave in because he had to.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He gave in because he had to.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You are much more lenient than I deserve.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He gave in because he had to.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would serve me right."
tolerant or lenient
From this reading "You are much more lenient than I deserve.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "You are much more lenient than I deserve.
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading "I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "You are much more lenient than I deserve.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.
precisely, exactly
From this reading It would serve me right."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading It would serve me right."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading Really, you ought to stick me good and hard for my awkwardness.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "You are much more lenient than I deserve.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He gave in because he had to.
in a wistful manner
From this reading "I am considering the motive," she said almost wistfully, he fancied.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would serve me right."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are much more lenient than I deserve.
Chapter 2 of Empire Builders by Francis Lynde holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of Empire Builders, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Empire Builders by Francis Lynde exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Empire Builders by Francis Lynde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5002 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16630 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16630, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 416 minutes of reading across 1001 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Empire Builders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Empire Builders 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 Empire Builders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
