Chapter 2 of Fine Feathers is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Fine Feathers is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
What could any such perfection need with an end? Was this not the end? No, Wan Nes Stan knew that this was not the end. This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility. This was not the least of the Galactic cities, nor was it the best.
Chapter 2 of Fine Feathers is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading “This was not the least of the Galactic cities, nor was it the best.”
made or joined or united into one
From this reading “This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.”
of or relating to a galaxy (especially our galaxy the Milky Way)
From this reading “This was not the least of the Galactic cities, nor was it the best.”
plural of “ne” — a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts
From this reading “No, Wan Nes Stan knew that this was not the end.”
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading “What could any such perfection need with an end?”
furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme
From this reading “This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.”
a company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation
From this reading “This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.”
(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
From this reading “No, Wan Nes Stan knew that this was not the end.”
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.
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading What could any such perfection need with an end?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading What could any such perfection need with an end?
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading This was not the least of the Galactic cities, nor was it the best.
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading This was not the least of the Galactic cities, nor was it the best.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.
made or joined or united into one
From this reading This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What could any such perfection need with an end?
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading What could any such perfection need with an end?
of or relating to a galaxy (especially our galaxy the Milky Way)
From this reading This was not the least of the Galactic cities, nor was it the best.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading This was not the least of the Galactic cities, nor was it the best.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading No, Wan Nes Stan knew that this was not the end.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading This was not the least of the Galactic cities, nor was it the best.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading What could any such perfection need with an end?
plural of “ne” — a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts
From this reading No, Wan Nes Stan knew that this was not the end.
not any; not one
From this reading No, Wan Nes Stan knew that this was not the end.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading This was not the least of the Galactic cities, nor was it the best.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Was this not the end?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This was not the least of the Galactic cities, nor was it the best.
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading What could any such perfection need with an end?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, Wan Nes Stan knew that this was not the end.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading What could any such perfection need with an end?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No, Wan Nes Stan knew that this was not the end.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Was this not the end?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Was this not the end?
furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme
From this reading This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.
a company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation
From this reading This was not perfection, any more than any Terran city was the ultimate in combined beauty and utility.
(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
From this reading No, Wan Nes Stan knew that this was not the end.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was this not the end?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What could any such perfection need with an end?
in the company of; together with
From this reading What could any such perfection need with an end?
Chapter 2 of Fine Feathers by George O. (George Oliver) Smith holds 486 sentences, grouped into 98 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 486 sentences of Fine Feathers, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Fine Feathers by George O. (George Oliver) Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 486 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 Fine Feathers by George O. (George Oliver) Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 982 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68218 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68218, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 81 minutes of reading across 197 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fine Feathers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Fine Feathers 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 Fine Feathers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
