Nobody's fault

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Nobody's fault is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Netta Syrett • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

Saturday was a holiday at Myrtle Lodge,--Miss Brownrigg’s boarding-house for the Eastchester High School girls,--and tennis was in full swing in the school-garden behind the house.

“Play!”

“Forty-love!”

“Vantage all!” came shrilly from the tennis court.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 1/71

Nobody's fault

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Nobody's fault is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

Line 2

Saturday was a holiday at Myrtle Lodge,--Miss Brownrigg’s boarding-house for the Eastchester High School girls,--and tennis was in full swing in the school-garden behind the house.

Line 3

“Play!”

/pleɪ/

Line 4

“Forty-love!”

Line 5

“Vantage all!” came shrilly from the tennis court.

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.

Bridget noun US /ˈbrɪdʒət/

Irish abbess; a patron saint of Ireland (453-523)

From this reading “Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.”

discussed verb US /dɪˈskʌst/

past form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing

From this reading “Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.”

fourteen noun US /ˈfɔːrˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one

From this reading “Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.”

Myrtle noun US /ˈmɜːrtəl/

widely cultivated as a groundcover for its dark green shiny leaves and usually blue-violet flowers

From this reading “Saturday was a holiday at Myrtle Lodge,--Miss Brownrigg’s boarding-house for the Eastchester High School girls,--and tennis was in full swing in the school-garden behind the house.”

swing verb US /swɪŋ/

move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting

tennis noun US /ˈtenəs/

a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court

Thirteen noun US /ˈθɜːrˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one

From this reading “Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.”

Vantage noun US /ˈvæntədʒ/

place or situation affording some advantage (especially a comprehensive view or commanding perspective)

From this reading ““Vantage all!” came shrilly from the tennis court.”

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.

tennis court noun + noun

the court on which tennis is played

In this reading ““Vantage all!” came shrilly from the tennis court.”

fourteen years noun + noun

In this reading “Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.”

High School adjective + noun

a public secondary school usually including grades 9 through 12

In this reading “Saturday was a holiday at Myrtle Lodge,--Miss Brownrigg’s boarding-house for the Eastchester High School girls,--and tennis was in full swing in the school-garden behind the house.”

All words in this reading · 49

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 Saturday was a holiday at Myrtle Lodge,--Miss Brownrigg’s boarding-house for the Eastchester High School girls,--and tennis was in full swing in the school-garden behind the house.

afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 “Vantage all!” came shrilly from the tennis court.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

boarding-house

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

BridgetnounUS /ˈbrɪdʒət/

Irish abbess; a patron saint of Ireland (453-523)

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

Brownrigg's

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

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading “Vantage all!” came shrilly from the tennis court.

courtnounUS /kɔːrt/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading “Vantage all!” came shrilly from the tennis court.

discussedverbUS /dɪˈskʌst/

past form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

Eastchester

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

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

Forty-love

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

From this reading “Forty-love!”

fourteennounUS /ˈfɔːrˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading “Vantage all!” came shrilly from the tennis court.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

girlsnounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

plural of “girl” — a young female

HighadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

holidaynounUS /ˈhɑːlədeɪ/

leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

LodgeverbUS /lɑːdʒ/

be a lodger; stay temporarily

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

MyrtlenounUS /ˈmɜːrtəl/

widely cultivated as a groundcover for its dark green shiny leaves and usually blue-violet flowers

novelnounUS /ˈnɑːvəl/

an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

PlayverbUS /pleɪ/

participate in games or sport

From this reading “Play!”

Ruan's

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

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

SaturdaynounUS /ˈsætərdi/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

SchoolnounUS /skuːl/

an educational institution

school-garden

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

school-girls

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

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

shrillyadverb

in a shrill voice

From this reading “Vantage all!” came shrilly from the tennis court.

sitting-room

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

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

swingverbUS /swɪŋ/

move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting

tennisnounUS /ˈtenəs/

a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

ThirteennounUS /ˈθɜːrˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

Trelawney's

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

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

VantagenounUS /ˈvæntədʒ/

place or situation affording some advantage (especially a comprehensive view or commanding perspective)

From this reading “Vantage all!” came shrilly from the tennis court.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Thirteen or fourteen years before the afternoon when Bridget Ruan’s novel was discussed in Mrs. Trelawney’s sitting-room, she and Bridget were school-girls at Eastchester.

Chapter 2 of Nobody's fault by Netta Syrett holds 358 sentences, grouped into 72 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 Nobody's fault contain?

Chapter 2 holds 358 sentences of Nobody's fault, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Nobody's fault by Netta Syrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 358 sentences, grouped into 72 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 Nobody's fault?

Work through the 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 72 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.

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Chapter II

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