Chapter 2 of Look Back on Happiness is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Look Back on Happiness is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest. I slept a while. In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost. I left the hut. The moon stood full and silent above the earth.
Chapter 2 of Look Back on Happiness is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.”
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading “All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest.”
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading “In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.”
temporary military shelter
From this reading “I left the hut.”
become covered with mist
From this reading “All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest.”
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading “The moon stood full and silent above the earth.”
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading “In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.”
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading “I slept a while.”
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 slept a while.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The moon stood full and silent above the earth.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest.
anew
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
(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 All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
rid of obstructions
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
plural of “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The moon stood full and silent above the earth.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest.
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The moon stood full and silent above the earth.
temporary military shelter
From this reading I left the hut.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I slept a while.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading I left the hut.
become covered with mist
From this reading All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The moon stood full and silent above the earth.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading The moon stood full and silent above the earth.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading I slept a while.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The moon stood full and silent above the earth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In the evening, the sky was clear again, and there were a few degrees of frost.
during the time that
From this reading I slept a while.
a Caucasian
From this reading All the afternoon the mist lay white on the forest.
Chapter 2 of Look Back on Happiness by Knut Hamsun holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of Look Back on Happiness, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Look Back on Happiness by Knut Hamsun exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Look Back on Happiness by Knut Hamsun on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8445 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8445, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 381 minutes of reading across 915 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Look Back on Happiness section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Look Back on Happiness 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 Look Back on Happiness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
