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Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881
Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 is here in full — 574 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881
Context Illustration Reading 1/114 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE FAIRY'S STORY CONTINUED.
Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.
"I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.
He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.
I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 is here in full — 574 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/114 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE FAIRY'S STORY CONTINUED.
Line 2
Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.
/ˈsuːnər ðæn hiː hæd səˈpoʊzd ˈɑːrθər hɜːrd ðə sɑːft ˈlɪtəl ˈtwɪtər ʌv hɪz nuː frend/
Line 3
"I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.
/aɪ hæv floʊn ˈrɪli kwaɪt ə ˈdɪstəns ənd hæd ðə ɡʊd ˈfɔːrtʃən tuː siː ðə elf huː hæz tʃɑːrdʒ ʌv ðiːz wʊdz/
Line 4
He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.
/hiː ɪz ˈveri mʌtʃ vekst wɪð juː ənd wɪl nɑːt ˈlɪsən tuː ˈeni ɪksˈkjuːs ðoʊ ˈnoʊɪŋ soʊ ˈlɪtəl əˈbaʊt ðə ˈmætər aɪ ˈhɑːrdli nuː wʌt tuː ˈɔːfər/
Line 5
I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:
/aɪ ˈpliːdɪd jɔːr juːθ ˌhaʊˈevər ənd meɪd boʊld tuː ˈprɑːməs jɔːr ɡʊd bɪˈheɪvjər ɪn ðə ˈfjuːtʃər ənd waɪl aɪ wɑːz ˈspiːkɪŋ wʌn ʌv ðə ˈlesər elvz twɪtʃt maɪ wɪŋ ə ˈlɪtəl ənd ˈwɪspərd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

behavior noun US /bɪˈheɪvjər/

manner of acting or controlling yourself

From this reading “I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:”

elf noun US /elf/

(folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous

From this reading “"I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.”

elves noun US /elvz/

an acronym for emissions of light and very low frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources

From this reading “I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:”

flown verb US /floʊn/

inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading “"I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.”

lesser adjective US /ˈlesər/

of less size or importance

From this reading “I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:”

twitched verb US /twɪtʃt/

past form of “twitch” — make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion

From this reading “I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:”

twitter noun US /ˈtwɪtər/

a series of chirps

From this reading “Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.”

vexed adjective US /vekst/

troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances

From this reading “He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

good fortune adjective + noun

an auspicious state resulting from favorable outcomes

In this reading “"I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.”

good behavior adjective + noun

In this reading “I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:”

much vexed adverb + adjective

In this reading “He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.”

new friend adjective + noun

In this reading “Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.”

charge of verb + particle

In this reading “"I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.”

about the matter preposition + article + noun counted as “about … matter”

In this reading “He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.”

All words in this reading · 76

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

ArthurnounUS /ˈɑːrθər/

elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

behaviornounUS /bɪˈheɪvjər/

manner of acting or controlling yourself

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

boldadjectiveUS /boʊld/

fearless and daring

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

chargeverbUS /tʃɑːrdʒ/

to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

CONTINUEDadjectiveUS /kənˈtɪnjuːd/

without stop or interruption

From this reading THE FAIRY'S STORY CONTINUED.

distancenounUS /ˈdɪstəns/

the property created by the space between two objects or points

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

elfnounUS /elf/

(folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

elvesnounUS /elvz/

an acronym for emissions of light and very low frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

excuseverbUS /ɪksˈkjuːs/

accept an excuse for

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

FAIRY'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE FAIRY'S STORY CONTINUED.

flownverbUS /floʊn/

inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

futureadjectiveUS /ˈfjuːtʃər/

yet to be or coming

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

knowingadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊɪŋ/

evidencing the possession of inside information

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

lesseradjectiveUS /ˈlesər/

of less size or importance

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

listenverbUS /ˈlɪsən/

hear with intention

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

offerverbUS /ˈɔːfər/

make available or accessible, provide or furnish

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

pleadedverbUS /ˈpliːdɪd/

past form of “plead” — appeal or request earnestly

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

promiseverbUS /ˈprɑːməs/

make a promise or commitment

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

softadjectiveUS /sɑːft/

yielding readily to pressure or weight

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

SooneradverbUS /ˈsuːnər/

comparatives of “soon” or “early”

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

speakingnounUS /ˈspiːkɪŋ/

the utterance of intelligible speech

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

STORYnounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading THE FAIRY'S STORY CONTINUED.

supposedadjectiveUS /səˈpoʊzd/

required or under orders

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE FAIRY'S STORY CONTINUED.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

twitchedverbUS /twɪtʃt/

past form of “twitch” — make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

twitternounUS /ˈtwɪtər/

a series of chirps

From this reading Sooner than he had supposed, Arthur heard the soft little twitter of his new friend.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

vexedadjectiveUS /vekst/

troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

whisperedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪspərd/

spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

wingnounUS /wɪŋ/

a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

woodsnounUS /wʊdz/

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading "I have flown really quite a distance, and had the good fortune to see the elf who has charge of these woods.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading He is very much vexed with you, and will not listen to any excuse; though knowing so little about the matter, I hardly knew what to offer.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

youthnounUS /juːθ/

a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading I pleaded your youth, however, and made bold to promise your good behavior in the future, and while I was speaking one of the lesser elves twitched my wing a little, and whispered:

Chapter 2 of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 by Various holds 574 sentences, grouped into 115 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.

What does chapter 2 of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 contain?

Chapter 2 holds 574 sentences of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881, unabridged, divided into 115 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 574 sentences, grouped into 115 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881?

Work through the 115 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 115 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881

Common questions about reading Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881?

Yes. All 950 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45329 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #45329, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 take to read?

About 79 minutes of reading across 190 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 section by section

How to work through Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 2 chapters of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881

Words and structures a reader meets early in Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Stubbs's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mischief
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Begun
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Realize
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.