Chapter 2 of From the Ranks is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of From the Ranks is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Never!" said Sloat, with melodramatic intensity. "Never! This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman. I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night." "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
Chapter 2 of From the Ranks is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
love intensely
From this reading “I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."”
any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force
From this reading “This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.”
an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room)
From this reading “I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."”
conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
From this reading “This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.”
the amount of energy transmitted (as by acoustic or electromagnetic radiation)
From this reading “"Never!" said Sloat, with melodramatic intensity.”
having the excitement and emotional appeal of melodrama
From this reading “"Never!" said Sloat, with melodramatic intensity.”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “"Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.”
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading “This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.”
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.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
love intensely
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
have
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force
From this reading This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.
move gently or carefully
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room)
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
From this reading This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.
the amount of energy transmitted (as by acoustic or electromagnetic radiation)
From this reading "Never!" said Sloat, with melodramatic intensity.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
having the excitement and emotional appeal of melodrama
From this reading "Never!" said Sloat, with melodramatic intensity.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Never!" said Sloat, with melodramatic intensity.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Never!" said Sloat, with melodramatic intensity.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Never!" said Sloat, with melodramatic intensity.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will bear it home with me, set it above my fireside, and adore it day and night."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Never!" said Sloat, with melodramatic intensity.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading This is my ideal of perfection,--of divinity in woman.
but in spite of that
From this reading "Nonsense, Major Sloat!" said Mrs. Maynard, laughing, yet far from being at her ease.
Chapter 2 of From the Ranks by Charles King holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of From the Ranks, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of From the Ranks by Charles King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 From the Ranks by Charles King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3378 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16558 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16558, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 281 minutes of reading across 676 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through From the Ranks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of From the Ranks 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 From the Ranks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
