Chapter 2 of Mary Olivier: a Life is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Mary Olivier: a Life is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She had had a birthday. Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old. She had kept on waking up with the excitement of it. Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail. It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
Chapter 2 of Mary Olivier: a Life is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading “She had had a birthday.”
of large size for its weight
From this reading “Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.”
a sheath worn to protect a finger
From this reading “Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.”
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading “Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.”
caught or fixed
From this reading “It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.”
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.”
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading “She had kept on waking up with the excitement of it.”
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 She had had a birthday.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading She had had a birthday.
of large size for its weight
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
a sheath worn to protect a finger
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
decorative cover for a bed
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading She had kept on waking up with the excitement of it.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had had a birthday.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had kept on waking up with the excitement of it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading She had kept on waking up with the excitement of it.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She had kept on waking up with the excitement of it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
above and across; more than
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
in a strange manner
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had had a birthday.
caught or fixed
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
a special situation
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading Then, in the dark twilight of the room, she had seen a bulky thing inside the cot, leaning up against the rail.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She had kept on waking up with the excitement of it.
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading She had kept on waking up with the excitement of it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading It stuck out queerly and its weight dragged the counterpane tight over her feet.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She had kept on waking up with the excitement of it.
a late time of life
From this reading Suddenly in the middle of the night she was five years old.
Chapter 2 of Mary Olivier: a Life by May Sinclair holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Mary Olivier: a Life, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Mary Olivier: a Life by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Mary Olivier: a Life by May Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11459 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9366 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9366, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2292 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mary Olivier: a Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Mary Olivier: a Life 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 Mary Olivier: a Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
