Materfamilias

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Materfamilias is here in full — 340 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ada Cambridge • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

IN THE EARLY DAYS.

I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 1/68

Materfamilias

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Materfamilias is here in full — 340 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/68 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

IN THE EARLY DAYS.

/ɪn ðə ˈɜːrli deɪz/

Line 2

I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

/aɪ wɑːz nɑːt ə ɡɜːrl bʌt ə ˈwʊmən wen aɪ ˈmerid tɑːm/

Line 3

He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

Line 4

Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

Line 5

Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!

Learner Dictionary

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.

faults noun US /fɔːlts/

plural of “fault” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading “Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.”

incapable adjective US /ˌɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/

(followed by “of”) lacking capacity or ability

From this reading “He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.”

marriages noun US /ˈmerɪdʒɪz/

plural of “marriage” — the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)

From this reading “Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!”

perfection noun US /pərˈfekʃən/

the state of being without a flaw or defect

From this reading “Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.”

ripe adjective US /raɪp/

fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used

From this reading “He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.”

shape noun US /ʃeɪp/

any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)

From this reading “He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.”

teach verb US /tiːtʃ/

impart skills or knowledge to

From this reading “Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.”

wedlock noun US /ˈwedlɑːk/

the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)

From this reading “Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

EARLY DAYS adjective + noun

an early period of development

In this reading “IN THE EARLY DAYS.”

second marriages noun + noun counted as “second marriage”

In this reading “Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!”

run down verb + adjective

trace

In this reading “Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

DAYSnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading IN THE EARLY DAYS.

Don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!

EARLYadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading IN THE EARLY DAYS.

experienceverbUS /ɪkˈspɪriəns/

undergo or live through a difficult experience

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

faultsnounUS /fɔːlts/

plural of “fault” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

formnounUS /fɔːrm/

the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

grossnessnoun

the quality of lacking taste and refinement

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

healthilyadverb

in a levelheaded manner

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading IN THE EARLY DAYS.

incapableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/

(followed by “of”) lacking capacity or ability

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

learnedadjectiveUS /lɜːrnd/

having or showing profound knowledge

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

marriagesnounUS /ˈmerɪdʒɪz/

plural of “marriage” — the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)

From this reading Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!

marriedadjectiveUS /ˈmerid/

joined in matrimony

From this reading I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!

meaningnounUS /ˈmiːnɪŋ/

the message that is intended or expressed or signified

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

naturaladjectiveUS /ˈnætʃərəl/

in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

otherwiseadverbUS /ˈʌðərwaɪz/

in other respects or ways

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

pastnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

perfectionnounUS /pərˈfekʃən/

the state of being without a flaw or defect

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

resultnounUS /rɪˈzʌlt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

ripeadjectiveUS /raɪp/

fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

runverbUS /rʌn/

move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading Don't let any one run down second marriages to me!

shapenounUS /ʃeɪp/

any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

teachverbUS /tiːtʃ/

impart skills or knowledge to

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading IN THE EARLY DAYS.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

TomnounUS /tɑːm/

male cat

From this reading I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

waysnounUS /weɪz/

structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired

From this reading He, a man incapable of grossness in any shape or form, was still a man, healthily natural, of ripe experience in the ways of men.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

wedlocknounUS /ˈwedlɑːk/

the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

WhateverdeterminerUS /ˌwʌˈtevər/

any or all of a kind, it does not matter which

From this reading Whatever our faults in the past--if they were faults--the result was to teach us what we could never otherwise have learned, the meaning of wedlock in its last perfection.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading I was not a girl, but a woman, when I married Tom.

Chapter 2 of Materfamilias by Ada Cambridge holds 340 sentences, grouped into 68 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.

What does chapter 2 of Materfamilias contain?

Chapter 2 holds 340 sentences of Materfamilias, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Materfamilias by Ada Cambridge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 340 sentences, grouped into 68 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of Materfamilias?

Work through the 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 68 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Materfamilias

Common questions about reading Materfamilias by Ada Cambridge on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Materfamilias?

Yes. All 3219 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40659 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Materfamilias is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40659, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Materfamilias take to read?

About 268 minutes of reading across 644 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Materfamilias section by section

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Vocabulary met early in Materfamilias

Words and structures a reader meets early in Materfamilias, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Little: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Materfamilias; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Father: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Materfamilias; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
England: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Materfamilias; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Married: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Materfamilias; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter II

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Questions about reading Materfamilias

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Vocabulary met early in Materfamilias