Chapter 2 of Holiday Romance is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Holiday Romance is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ROMANCE. FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers. The king was, in his private profession, under government. The queen’s father had been a medical man out of town. They had nineteen children, and were always having more.
Chapter 2 of Holiday Romance is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading “FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.”
relating to the study or practice of medicine
From this reading “The queen’s father had been a medical man out of town.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eighteen and one
From this reading “They had nineteen children, and were always having more.”
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading “FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.”
the body of people in a learned occupation
From this reading “The king was, in his private profession, under government.”
possessive form of “queen” — the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading “ROMANCE.”
activities associated with sexual intercourse
From this reading “FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading They had nineteen children, and were always having more.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The queen’s father had been a medical man out of town.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading They had nineteen children, and were always having more.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading The queen’s father had been a medical man out of town.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading The king was, in his private profession, under government.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading They had nineteen children, and were always having more.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The king was, in his private profession, under government.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The queen’s father had been a medical man out of town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
relating to the study or practice of medicine
From this reading The queen’s father had been a medical man out of town.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They had nineteen children, and were always having more.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eighteen and one
From this reading They had nineteen children, and were always having more.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
on one occasion
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The queen’s father had been a medical man out of town.
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading The king was, in his private profession, under government.
the body of people in a learned occupation
From this reading The king was, in his private profession, under government.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
possessive form of “queen” — the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading The queen’s father had been a medical man out of town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading ROMANCE.
activities associated with sexual intercourse
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
in or at that place or location
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had nineteen children, and were always having more.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading The queen’s father had been a medical man out of town.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The king was, in his private profession, under government.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD {258} THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They had nineteen children, and were always having more.
Chapter 2 of Holiday Romance by Charles Dickens holds 191 sentences, grouped into 39 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 191 sentences of Holiday Romance, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Holiday Romance by Charles Dickens exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Holiday Romance by Charles Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 824 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #809 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #809, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 68 minutes of reading across 165 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Holiday Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Holiday Romance 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 Holiday Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
