Chapter 2 of Golden Stories A Selection of the Best 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 Golden Stories A Selection of the Best is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The express at top speed! Impossible!" "To the ordinary individual, yes. But then, you see, this was not an ordinary individual. He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
Chapter 2 of Golden Stories A Selection of the Best 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.
an athlete who performs acts requiring skill and agility and coordination
From this reading “He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."”
an athletic competition that involves diving into water
From this reading “He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."”
give expression to
From this reading “"The express at top speed!”
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading “"To the ordinary individual, yes.”
any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
From this reading “He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."”
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading “He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."”
move hurridly
From this reading “"The express at top speed!”
a swing used by circus acrobats
From this reading “He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."”
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 He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
an athlete who performs acts requiring skill and agility and coordination
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But then, you see, this was not an ordinary individual.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "The express at top speed!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But then, you see, this was not an ordinary individual.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
an athletic competition that involves diving into water
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
give expression to
From this reading "The express at top speed!
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading Impossible!"
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading "To the ordinary individual, yes.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But then, you see, this was not an ordinary individual.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
a judge of a probate court
From this reading "To the ordinary individual, yes.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But then, you see, this was not an ordinary individual.
move hurridly
From this reading "The express at top speed!
express a supposition
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The express at top speed!
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading But then, you see, this was not an ordinary individual.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But then, you see, this was not an ordinary individual.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "To the ordinary individual, yes.
the upper part of anything
From this reading "The express at top speed!
a swing used by circus acrobats
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
the act of using
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But then, you see, this was not an ordinary individual.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading He was--let us suppose--an acrobat, a man of great nerve and courage, accustomed to trapeze work and the use of the diving net."
an affirmative
From this reading "To the ordinary individual, yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But then, you see, this was not an ordinary individual.
Chapter 2 of Golden Stories A Selection of the Best by Various 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 Golden Stories A Selection of the Best, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Golden Stories A Selection of the Best by Various 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.
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Yes. All 5618 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19356 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19356, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 468 minutes of reading across 1124 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Golden Stories A Selection of the Best section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Golden Stories A Selection of the Best 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 Golden Stories A Selection of the Best, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
