Chapter 2 of Half Portions is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Half Portions is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Flora, sitting up in bed, was sobbing. "I think you might have told your mother, Adele. What are children coming to! You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.' Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
Chapter 2 of Half Portions is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 water solution of ammonia
From this reading “Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."”
(Old Testament) a youth who was taken into the court of Nebuchadnezzar and given divine protection when thrown into a den of lions (6th century BC)
From this reading “You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'”
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading “Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."”
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading “Flora, sitting up in bed, was sobbing.”
take in marriage
From this reading “You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'”
United States sharpshooter who was featured in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (1860-1926)
From this reading “You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'”
convulsive gasp made while weeping
From this reading “Flora, sitting up in bed, was sobbing.”
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."”
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 Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I think you might have told your mother, Adele.
(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 Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
a water solution of ammonia
From this reading Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What are children coming to!
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Flora, sitting up in bed, was sobbing.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading What are children coming to!
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading What are children coming to!
(Old Testament) a youth who was taken into the court of Nebuchadnezzar and given divine protection when thrown into a den of lions (6th century BC)
From this reading You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading Flora, sitting up in bed, was sobbing.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
the act of departing
From this reading You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I think you might have told your mother, Adele.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think you might have told your mother, Adele.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Flora, sitting up in bed, was sobbing.
take in marriage
From this reading You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "I think you might have told your mother, Adele.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "I think you might have told your mother, Adele.
United States sharpshooter who was featured in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (1860-1926)
From this reading You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
express in words
From this reading You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Flora, sitting up in bed, was sobbing.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
convulsive gasp made while weeping
From this reading Flora, sitting up in bed, was sobbing.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
be standing; be upright
From this reading You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Oh, I _am_ so faint ... all of a sudden ... get the spirits of ammonia...."
in or at that place or location
From this reading You stand there and say, 'I'm going to marry Daniel Oakley.'
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think you might have told your mother, Adele.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What are children coming to!
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I think you might have told your mother, Adele.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Flora, sitting up in bed, was sobbing.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Flora, sitting up in bed, was sobbing.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What are children coming to!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I think you might have told your mother, Adele.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I think you might have told your mother, Adele.
Chapter 2 of Half Portions by Edna Ferber holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of Half Portions, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Half Portions by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Half Portions by Edna Ferber on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5692 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14714 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14714, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 474 minutes of reading across 1139 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Half Portions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Half Portions 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 Half Portions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
