Chapter 2 of Four Weird Tales is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Four Weird Tales is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts. "Only this?" he repeated, indicating the bag. "But where's all the stuff you went away with? And--have you brought nothing home--no treasures?" "This is all I have," the other said briefly.
Chapter 2 of Four Weird Tales is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading “"Only this?" he repeated, indicating the bag.”
for a short time
From this reading “"This is all I have," the other said briefly.”
-ing form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading “"Only this?" he repeated, indicating the bag.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “"But where's all the stuff you went away with?”
plural of “treasure” — accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading “And--have you brought nothing home--no treasures?"”
not welcome; not giving pleasure or received with pleasure
From this reading “He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.”
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading “He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.”
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.
(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 "But where's all the stuff you went away with?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "But where's all the stuff you went away with?
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading "Only this?" he repeated, indicating the bag.
for a short time
From this reading "This is all I have," the other said briefly.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading And--have you brought nothing home--no treasures?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But where's all the stuff you went away with?
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And--have you brought nothing home--no treasures?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading And--have you brought nothing home--no treasures?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "This is all I have," the other said briefly.
-ing form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading "Only this?" he repeated, indicating the bag.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is all I have," the other said briefly.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
not any; not one
From this reading And--have you brought nothing home--no treasures?"
not one thing; not anything
From this reading And--have you brought nothing home--no treasures?"
and nothing more
From this reading "Only this?" he repeated, indicating the bag.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "This is all I have," the other said briefly.
with speed
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
recurring again and again
From this reading "Only this?" he repeated, indicating the bag.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "This is all I have," the other said briefly.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading "But where's all the stuff you went away with?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Only this?" he repeated, indicating the bag.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Only this?" he repeated, indicating the bag.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
plural of “treasure” — accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading And--have you brought nothing home--no treasures?"
not welcome; not giving pleasure or received with pleasure
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "But where's all the stuff you went away with?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But where's all the stuff you went away with?
in the company of; together with
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading He looked up quickly at his friend, his mind working with startled and unwelcome thoughts.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But where's all the stuff you went away with?
Chapter 2 of Four Weird Tales by Algernon Blackwood holds 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 439 sentences of Four Weird Tales, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Four Weird Tales by Algernon Blackwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Four Weird Tales by Algernon Blackwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3105 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16726 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16726, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 621 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Four Weird Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Four Weird Tales 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 Four Weird Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
