Chapter 2 of Flames is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Flames is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting. Shall we clear this little table?" "Yes. It's just the right size. It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
Chapter 2 of Flames is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading “EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."”
rid of obstructions
From this reading “Shall we clear this little table?"”
a happening that is distinctive in a series of related events
From this reading “EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.”
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading “EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.”
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading “It's just the right size.”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.”
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading “EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.”
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.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
rid of obstructions
From this reading Shall we clear this little table?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
a happening that is distinctive in a series of related events
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's just the right size.
and nothing more
From this reading It's just the right size.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Shall we clear this little table?"
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
precisely, exactly
From this reading It's just the right size.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Shall we clear this little table?"
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading It's just the right size.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Shall we clear this little table?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It might do for three people, but certainly not for more."
make an effort or attempt
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading EPISODE OF THE FIRST SITTING "Now, then," said Valentine, "let us be absurd and try this sitting.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Shall we clear this little table?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes.
Chapter 2 of Flames by Robert Hichens holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 132 sentences of Flames, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Flames by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Flames by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12894 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14253 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14253, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2579 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Flames section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Flames 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 Flames, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
