Chapter 2 of Gray Lady and the Birds is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Gray Lady and the Birds is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Whither away, Swallow, Whither away? Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest? Not one short day? Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best? Whither away?
Chapter 2 of Gray Lady and the Birds is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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 old form of “can”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?”
past form of “screen” — test or examine for the presence of disease or infection
From this reading “Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?”
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “Whither away, Swallow, Whither away?”
be about
From this reading “Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?”
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?”
an old form of “were”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?”
an old word meaning “to where”
From this reading “Whither away, Swallow, Whither away?”
an old form of “will”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?”
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.
In this reading “Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?”
go away from a place
In this reading “Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Whither away, Swallow, Whither away?
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
an old form of “can”, used with “thou”
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Not one short day?
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
an old form of “has”
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
for more time
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
not any; not one
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not one short day?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Not one short day?
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
past form of “screen” — test or examine for the presence of disease or infection
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Not one short day?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading Whither away, Swallow, Whither away?
be about
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
an old form of “were”, used with “thou”
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
in or at the place that
From this reading Canst thou no longer tarry in the North, Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?
an old word meaning “to where”
From this reading Whither away, Swallow, Whither away?
which person or people
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
an old form of “will”, used with “thou”
From this reading Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth And wander far from them who love thee best?
Chapter 2 of Gray Lady and the Birds by Mabel Osgood Wright holds 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 392 sentences of Gray Lady and the Birds, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Gray Lady and the Birds by Mabel Osgood Wright exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Gray Lady and the Birds by Mabel Osgood Wright on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4247 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62793 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62793, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 850 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Gray Lady and the Birds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Gray Lady and the Birds 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 Gray Lady and the Birds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
