Chapter 2 of Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Merry England!--Oh, merry England! What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land! What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name! What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past! What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!
Chapter 2 of Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/4 · 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.
give encouragement to
From this reading “What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!”
the quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom
From this reading “What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!”
be suspended or hanging
From this reading “What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!”
great merriment
From this reading “What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past!”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “Merry England!--Oh, merry England!”
characteristic of rural life
From this reading “What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!”
a spirit that lives in or frequents the woods
From this reading “What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!”
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!”
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.
past times remembered with nostalgia
In this reading “What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!”
In this reading “What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!”
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 What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
the past participle of “be”
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
give encouragement to
From this reading What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!
the quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom
From this reading What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading Merry England!--Oh, merry England!
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
be suspended or hanging
From this reading What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!
the trait of being willing to undertake things that involve risk or danger
From this reading What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
great merriment
From this reading What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past!
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading Merry England!--Oh, merry England!
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past!
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Merry England!--Oh, merry England!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
the time that has elapsed
From this reading What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past!
characteristic of rural life
From this reading What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!
a spirit that lives in or frequents the woods
From this reading What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past!
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
in or at that place or location
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past!
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading What a spirit of sylvan cheer and rustic hardihood in all the tales of thy old times!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!
precisely as stated
From this reading What a cheerfulness there seems to hang about thy very name!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What a difference has there always been between thee and every other land!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What yeoman-like hilarity is there in all the thoughts of the past!
Chapter 2 of Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times by G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James holds 23 sentences, grouped into 5 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 23 sentences of Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times by G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 23 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times by G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6025 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49987 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49987, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 502 minutes of reading across 1205 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times 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 Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
