Chapter 2 of Humoresque is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Humoresque is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor. "Open--quick--Sarah! Leon!" A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door. "Open--Sarah!"
Chapter 2 of Humoresque is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
make loud demands
From this reading “Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.”
pressed tightly together
From this reading “A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.”
without light
From this reading “A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.”
a historical area and former kingdom in northwestern Spain
From this reading “Leon!"”
past form of “race” — move hurridly
From this reading “A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.”
a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)
From this reading “Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.”
a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
From this reading “A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.”
the act of becoming stiff
From this reading “A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.”
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 Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
make loud demands
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
pressed tightly together
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
without light
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
divisible by two
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
the organ of sight
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
a historical area and former kingdom in northwestern Spain
From this reading Leon!"
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading "Open--quick--Sarah!
above and across; more than
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading "Open--quick--Sarah!
past form of “race” — move hurridly
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading "Open--quick--Sarah!
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
the act of becoming stiff
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A stiffening raced over Mrs. Kantor, so that she sat rigid on her chair-edge, lips compressed, eye darkly upon the shivering door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Even upon her words came a rattling of door, Of door-knob, and a voice through the clamor.
Chapter 2 of Humoresque by Fannie Hurst holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 413 sentences of Humoresque, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Humoresque by Fannie Hurst exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Humoresque by Fannie Hurst on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6689 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9864 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9864, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 557 minutes of reading across 1338 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Humoresque section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Humoresque 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 Humoresque, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
