Chapter 2 of Least said, soonest mended is here in full — 314 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Least said, soonest mended is here in full — 314 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A GOLD WATCH. I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground. It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me. Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer. I felt that I must know the worst.
Chapter 2 of Least said, soonest mended is here in full — 314 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/62 · 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.
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading “I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.”
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.”
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading “Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.”
crowded or massed together
From this reading “I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.”
plural of “shriek” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading “Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.”
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading “Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.”
look attentively
From this reading “A GOLD WATCH.”
the least favorable outcome
From this reading “I felt that I must know the worst.”
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 “I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.”
In this reading “It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.”
In this reading “I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.”
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 A GOLD WATCH.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
have
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I felt that I must know the worst.
coins made of gold
From this reading A GOLD WATCH.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
crowded or massed together
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
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 I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
for more time
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I felt that I must know the worst.
not any; not one
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
on one occasion
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
plural of “shriek” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I felt that I must know the worst.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Though I stopped both ears, I fancied I heard shrieks: and all at once I could bear the suspense no longer.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading I DO not know how long I crouched down, huddled together on the ground.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
look attentively
From this reading A GOLD WATCH.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading I felt that I must know the worst.
but in spite of that
From this reading It could not have been more than two or three minutes: yet it seemed like an hour to me.
Chapter 2 of Least said, soonest mended by Agnes Giberne holds 314 sentences, grouped into 63 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 314 sentences of Least said, soonest mended, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Least said, soonest mended by Agnes Giberne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 314 sentences, grouped into 63 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 63 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 63 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Least said, soonest mended, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
