Chapter 2 of Gentle Julia is here in full — 416 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 Gentle Julia is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Balche shook her head. "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter. "Want to come with mamma?" But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier. He settled himself to another stupor in the sun.
Chapter 2 of Gentle Julia is here in full — 416 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.
earlier in time; previously
From this reading “But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"Want to come with mamma?"”
suggestive of sexual impropriety
From this reading “"Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.”
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading “"Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.”
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
From this reading “"Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.”
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.”
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading “He settled himself to another stupor in the sun.”
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading “"Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.”
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 But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He settled himself to another stupor in the sun.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Balche shook her head.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Want to come with mamma?"
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
earlier in time; previously
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
to come or go into
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
divisible by two
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Mrs. Balche shook her head.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Balche shook her head.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He settled himself to another stupor in the sun.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "Want to come with mamma?"
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Balche shook her head.
suggestive of sexual impropriety
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading He settled himself to another stupor in the sun.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Mrs. Balche shook her head.
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading But Violet had lost even the faint interest in life he had shown a few moments earlier.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading He settled himself to another stupor in the sun.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading He settled himself to another stupor in the sun.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Want to come with mamma?"
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Naughty children!" she said, as she picked up the saucer and went to the kitchen door, which she held open for Violet to enter.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Want to come with mamma?"
Chapter 2 of Gentle Julia by Booth Tarkington holds 416 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 416 sentences of Gentle Julia, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Gentle Julia by Booth Tarkington exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 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 Gentle Julia by Booth Tarkington on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4604 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18259 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18259, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 383 minutes of reading across 921 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Gentle Julia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Gentle Julia 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 Gentle Julia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
