Chapter 1 of No Defense, Volume 2. is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of No Defense, Volume 2. is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHITHER NOW? England was in a state of unrest. She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France. From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair. Ministries came and went; statesmen rose and fell.
Chapter 1 of No Defense, Volume 2. is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
-ing form of “border” — extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle
From this reading “From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.”
plural of “dial” — the face of a timepiece; graduated to show the hours
From this reading “From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.”
plural of “ministry” — religious ministers collectively (especially Presbyterian)
From this reading “Ministries came and went; statesmen rose and fell.”
superlative of “poor” — deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.”
a district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions
From this reading “From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.”
plural of “statesman” — a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs
From this reading “Ministries came and went; statesmen rose and fell.”
a state of agitation or turbulent change or development
From this reading “England was in a state of unrest.”
an old word meaning “to where”
From this reading “WHITHER NOW?”
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 England was in a state of unrest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ministries came and went; statesmen rose and fell.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
-ing form of “border” — extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Ministries came and went; statesmen rose and fell.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
plural of “dial” — the face of a timepiece; graduated to show the hours
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading England was in a state of unrest.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Ministries came and went; statesmen rose and fell.
a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading England was in a state of unrest.
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
plural of “ministry” — religious ministers collectively (especially Presbyterian)
From this reading Ministries came and went; statesmen rose and fell.
not one, and not any
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading WHITHER NOW?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading England was in a state of unrest.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
superlative of “poor” — deserving or inciting pity
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Ministries came and went; statesmen rose and fell.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
a district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading England was in a state of unrest.
plural of “statesman” — a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs
From this reading Ministries came and went; statesmen rose and fell.
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
in or at that place or location
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From the king's castle to the poorest slum in Seven Dials there was a temper bordering on despair.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
a state of agitation or turbulent change or development
From this reading England was in a state of unrest.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading England was in a state of unrest.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Ministries came and went; statesmen rose and fell.
an old word meaning “to where”
From this reading WHITHER NOW?
in the company of; together with
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
but in spite of that
From this reading She had, as yet, been none too successful in the war with France.
Chapter 1 of No Defense, Volume 2. by Gilbert Parker holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 1 holds 114 sentences of No Defense, Volume 2., unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of No Defense, Volume 2. by Gilbert Parker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 1 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 No Defense, Volume 2. by Gilbert Parker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 930 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6293 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6293, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 77 minutes of reading across 186 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through No Defense, Volume 2. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of No Defense, Volume 2. 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 No Defense, Volume 2., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
