Chapter I
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of His Second Wife is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last! It must be after midnight.
His Second Wife
Chapter I · Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of His Second Wife is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
"Well,
Ethel
my
love,
we're
here
at
last!
It
must
be
after
midnight.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
His Second Wife
Chapter I · Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of His Second Wife is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
"Well,
Ethel
my
love,
we're
here
at
last!
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Line 5
It
must
be
after
midnight.
/ɪt mʌst biː ˈæftər ˈmɪdnaɪt/
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.
later than; following
From this reading “It must be after midnight.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “"Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!”
immediately past
From this reading “"Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!”
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “"Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “It must be after midnight.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “It must be after midnight.”
(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 “"Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!”
All words in this reading · 13
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.
later than; following
From this reading It must be after midnight.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It must be after midnight.
Ethel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It must be after midnight.
immediately past
From this reading "Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading It must be after midnight.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must be after midnight.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!
we're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!
(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 "Well, Ethel my love, we're here at last!
Chapter 1 of His Second Wife by Ernest Poole holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 1 of His Second Wife contain?
Chapter 1 holds 114 sentences of His Second Wife, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of His Second Wife by Ernest Poole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 1 of His Second Wife?
Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 1 be read aloud to me?
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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 His Second Wife
Common questions about reading His Second Wife by Ernest Poole on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of His Second Wife?
Yes. All 5317 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17259 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of His Second Wife is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #17259, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does His Second Wife take to read?
About 443 minutes of reading across 1064 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read His Second Wife section by section
How to work through His Second Wife section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 27 chapters of His Second Wife to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in His Second Wife
Words and structures a reader meets early in His Second Wife, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Ethel
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of His Second Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- We're
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of His Second Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Midnight
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of His Second Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Wonder
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of His Second Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.