Chapter 2 of Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores. “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!” (Thuswise a harpsicord, as from dampered lips.) “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
Chapter 2 of Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/69 · 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.
plural of “contour” — a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
From this reading “And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.”
plural of “key” — metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading ““My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.”
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.”
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading ““The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!””
a large number or amount
From this reading “And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.”
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading “And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.”
become or cause to become undone by separating the fibers or threads of
From this reading “And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.”
comparative of “white” — being of the achromatic color of maximum lightness; having little or no hue owing to reflection of almost all incident light
From this reading ““My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.”
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 (Thuswise a harpsicord, as from dampered lips.)
the lofty nest of a bird of prey (such as a hawk or eagle)
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading (Thuswise a harpsicord, as from dampered lips.)
plural of “contour” — a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (Thuswise a harpsicord, as from dampered lips.)
divisible by two
From this reading “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading (Thuswise a harpsicord, as from dampered lips.)
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (Thuswise a harpsicord, as from dampered lips.)
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
plural of “key” — metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading (Thuswise a harpsicord, as from dampered lips.)
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
above and across; more than
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
past form of “rejoice” — feel happiness or joy
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
unhealthy looking
From this reading “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
a large number or amount
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
an ability that has been acquired by training
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (Thuswise a harpsicord, as from dampered lips.)
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
become or cause to become undone by separating the fibers or threads of
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “The tender pat Of her aery finger-tips Upon me daily—I rejoiced thereat!”
a Caucasian
From this reading “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
comparative of “white” — being of the achromatic color of maximum lightness; having little or no hue owing to reflection of almost all incident light
From this reading “My keys’ white shine, Now sallow, met a hand Even whiter.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And they felt old muscles travel Over their tense contours, And with long skill unravel Cunningest scores.
Chapter 2 of Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other by Thomas Hardy holds 347 sentences, grouped into 70 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 347 sentences of Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other, unabridged, divided into 70 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 347 sentences, grouped into 70 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 70 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 70 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 Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1373 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4758 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4758, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 114 minutes of reading across 275 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other 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 Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
