Chapter 2 of Left to Themselves is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Left to Themselves is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE. “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on. “Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel. We have always been to Shelter Island until this year.” “I have lived quite a good deal in New York myself,” remarked Philip.
Chapter 2 of Left to Themselves is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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 “confidence” — freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading “MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.”
common to or shared by two or more parties
From this reading “MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading ““Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel.”
a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
From this reading “We have always been to Shelter Island until this year.””
the last Dutch colonial administrator of New Netherland; in 1664 he was forced to surrender the colony to England (1592-1672)
From this reading ““Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel.”
past form of “trundle” — move heavily
From this reading ““This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.”
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading “MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.”
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading ““This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.”
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 “MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.”
live in the house where one works
In this reading ““Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel.”
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 “I have lived quite a good deal in New York myself,” remarked Philip.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading We have always been to Shelter Island until this year.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
plural of “confidence” — freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “I have lived quite a good deal in New York myself,” remarked Philip.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “I have lived quite a good deal in New York myself,” remarked Philip.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We have always been to Shelter Island until this year.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading We have always been to Shelter Island until this year.”
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “I have lived quite a good deal in New York myself,” remarked Philip.
common to or shared by two or more parties
From this reading MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “I have lived quite a good deal in New York myself,” remarked Philip.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “I have lived quite a good deal in New York myself,” remarked Philip.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading “I have lived quite a good deal in New York myself,” remarked Philip.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
From this reading We have always been to Shelter Island until this year.”
the last Dutch colonial administrator of New Netherland; in 1664 he was forced to surrender the colony to England (1592-1672)
From this reading “Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We have always been to Shelter Island until this year.”
past form of “trundle” — move heavily
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading MUTUAL CONFIDENCES; AND PHILIP TURNS RED IN THE FACE.
up to a particular time
From this reading We have always been to Shelter Island until this year.”
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading “This has been my first summer at the Ossokosee,” said Gerald, as the wagon trundled on.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We have always been to Shelter Island until this year.”
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading We have always been to Shelter Island until this year.”
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading “Papa and I live in New York, in the Stuyvesant Hotel.
Chapter 2 of Left to Themselves by Edward Prime-Stevenson holds 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 217 sentences of Left to Themselves, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Left to Themselves by Edward Prime-Stevenson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Left to Themselves by Edward Prime-Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4254 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 354 minutes of reading across 851 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Left to Themselves section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Left to Themselves 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 Left to Themselves, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
