Chapter 2 of Melbourne House is here in full — 335 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Melbourne House is here in full — 335 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BIRTHDAY. "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning. Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it. "Oh, very good, papa! It was as good as a fairy tale."
Chapter 2 of Melbourne House is here in full — 335 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/67 · 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 “THE BIRTHDAY.”
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “"What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.”
any of numerous composite plants having flower heads with well-developed ray flowers usually arranged in a single whorl
From this reading “"What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.”
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading “"What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.”
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “It was as good as a fairy tale."”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"Oh, very good, papa!”
past form of “prevent” — keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading “Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “It was as good as a fairy tale."”
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 It was as good as a fairy tale."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was as good as a fairy tale."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it.
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading THE BIRTHDAY.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it.
any of numerous composite plants having flower heads with well-developed ray flowers usually arranged in a single whorl
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it.
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading It was as good as a fairy tale."
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Oh, very good, papa!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, very good, papa!
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "Oh, very good, papa!
past form of “prevent” — keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading It was as good as a fairy tale."
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Company the evening before had prevented any talk about it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BIRTHDAY.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Oh, very good, papa!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was as good as a fairy tale."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What sort of an expedition did you have, Daisy?" her father asked at breakfast next morning.
Chapter 2 of Melbourne House by Susan Warner holds 335 sentences, grouped into 67 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 335 sentences of Melbourne House, unabridged, divided into 67 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Melbourne House by Susan Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 335 sentences, grouped into 67 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 67 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 67 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 Melbourne House by Susan Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13397 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18686 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18686, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2680 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Melbourne House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Melbourne House 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 Melbourne House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
