Chapter 2 of Kora in Hell: Improvisations is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Kora in Hell: Improvisations is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
III. So far away August green as it yet is. They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now. Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch. My wife’s uncle went to school with Amundsen.
Chapter 2 of Kora in Hell: Improvisations is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
Norwegian explorer who was the first to traverse the Northwest Passage and in 1911 the first to reach the South Pole (1872-1928)
From this reading “My wife’s uncle went to school with Amundsen.”
plural of “apple” — fruit with red or yellow or green skin and sweet to tart crisp whitish flesh
From this reading “Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.”
a long narrow excavation in the earth
From this reading “Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.”
the yield from plants in a single growing season
From this reading “They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.”
the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading “Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.”
(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
From this reading “Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.”
-ing form of “swirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.”
branch out in a twiglike manner
From this reading “Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.”
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.
the full moon nearest the September equinox
In this reading “They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.”
bring forth, usually something desirable
In this reading “They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.”
In this reading “Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.”
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
Norwegian explorer who was the first to traverse the Northwest Passage and in 1911 the first to reach the South Pole (1872-1928)
From this reading My wife’s uncle went to school with Amundsen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
plural of “apple” — fruit with red or yellow or green skin and sweet to tart crisp whitish flesh
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading So far away August green as it yet is.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading So far away August green as it yet is.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading So far away August green as it yet is.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
a long narrow excavation in the earth
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading So far away August green as it yet is.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading So far away August green as it yet is.
the yield from plants in a single growing season
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading III.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So far away August green as it yet is.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading So far away August green as it yet is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My wife’s uncle went to school with Amundsen.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
express in words
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
an educational institution
From this reading My wife’s uncle went to school with Amundsen.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So far away August green as it yet is.
not in physical motion
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
-ing form of “swirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My wife’s uncle went to school with Amundsen.
branch out in a twiglike manner
From this reading Always one leaf at the peak twig swirling, swirling and apples rotting in the ditch.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading My wife’s uncle went to school with Amundsen.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They say the sun still comes up o’mornings and it’s harvest moon now.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading My wife’s uncle went to school with Amundsen.
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading My wife’s uncle went to school with Amundsen.
in the company of; together with
From this reading My wife’s uncle went to school with Amundsen.
but in spite of that
From this reading So far away August green as it yet is.
Chapter 2 of Kora in Hell: Improvisations by William Carlos Williams holds 450 sentences, grouped into 90 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 450 sentences of Kora in Hell: Improvisations, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Kora in Hell: Improvisations by William Carlos Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 450 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Kora in Hell: Improvisations by William Carlos Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1358 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56681 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56681, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 113 minutes of reading across 272 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Kora in Hell: Improvisations section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Kora in Hell: Improvisations 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 Kora in Hell: Improvisations, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
