Chapter 2 of Fairies Afield is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Fairies Afield is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer. There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing. Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions. "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve." "The clock," Linde repeated.
Chapter 2 of Fairies Afield is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
with attention; in an attentive manner
From this reading “Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.”
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading “Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.”
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “"Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."”
manner of acting or controlling yourself
From this reading “"Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.”
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading “Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.”
a manual usually accompanying a technical device and explaining how to install or operate it
From this reading “Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.”
any art that invokes supernatural powers
From this reading “"Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.”
possessive form of “robin” — small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading “Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.”
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 “Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.”
In this reading “"Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."”
In this reading “There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “"Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."”
In this reading “Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.”
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 There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.
with attention; in an attentive manner
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
dearly loved
From this reading "Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.
manner of acting or controlling yourself
From this reading "Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
a manual usually accompanying a technical device and explaining how to install or operate it
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The clock," Linde repeated.
hear with intention
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
any art that invokes supernatural powers
From this reading "Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading "Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
recurring again and again
From this reading "The clock," Linde repeated.
possessive form of “robin” — small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
carry out
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.
up to a particular time
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Some instinct told her it was best to take things calmly, and to listen attentively to the robin's instructions.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
precisely as stated
From this reading "Oh dear," she thought, "magic doings are very queer.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There _was_ a rose-bush there, I am quite certain," but she said nothing.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Where you now see me," he went on, "till you hear the clock strike twelve."
Chapter 2 of Fairies Afield by Mrs. Molesworth holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 431 sentences of Fairies Afield, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Fairies Afield by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Fairies Afield by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2967 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39167 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39167, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 247 minutes of reading across 594 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fairies Afield section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Fairies Afield 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 Fairies Afield, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
