Chapter 2 of Lady Lilith is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Lady Lilith is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Hullo! How are you? How's your father? How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house. The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
Chapter 2 of Lady Lilith is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading “The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.”
formed or developed from something else; not original
From this reading “The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.”
a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
From this reading “The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.”
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading “The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.”
a narrow way or road
From this reading “The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.”
a large wine bottle for liquor or wine
a musical work that has been created
characterized by variety
From this reading “The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.”
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.
In this reading “The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.”
In this reading “The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.”
In this reading “How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.”
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.
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
a native or inhabitant of England prior to the Norman Conquest
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading How are you?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
formed or developed from something else; not original
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading How's your father?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How are you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How's your father?
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hullo!
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
a narrow way or road
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
a large wine bottle for liquor or wine
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
a musical work that has been created
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
in the direction of
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
characterized by variety
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading How's the _magnum opus_?" he asked, as he dismounted and walked towards the house.
a late time of life
From this reading The three questions never varied, and the colonel derived immense private amusement from the thought that Dr. Lane had given thirty years of his life to an Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How are you?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How's your father?
Chapter 2 of Lady Lilith by Stephen McKenna holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of Lady Lilith, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Lady Lilith by Stephen McKenna exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Lady Lilith by Stephen McKenna on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6395 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44982 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44982, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 532 minutes of reading across 1279 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lady Lilith section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Lady Lilith 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 Lady Lilith, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
