Chapter 2 of Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered. "Listen, you. Listen by the door again." They talked in whispers. Nothing; there was nothing to be heard.
Chapter 2 of Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
a quantity of no importance
From this reading “"He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “"He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “Listen by the door again."”
hear with intention
From this reading “"Listen, you.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.”
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “"He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.”
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “They talked in whispers.”
plural of “whisper” — speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “They talked in whispers.”
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.
anew
From this reading Listen by the door again."
a quantity of no importance
From this reading "He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Nothing; there was nothing to be heard.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Listen by the door again."
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading "He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Listen by the door again."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Nothing; there was nothing to be heard.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They talked in whispers.
hear with intention
From this reading "Listen, you.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing; there was nothing to be heard.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading They talked in whispers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Listen by the door again."
in or at that place or location
From this reading Nothing; there was nothing to be heard.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They talked in whispers.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Nothing; there was nothing to be heard.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nothing; there was nothing to be heard.
plural of “whisper” — speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading They talked in whispers.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "He will not have seen aught," David Faed muttered.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Listen, you.
Chapter 2 of Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts by Arthur Quiller-Couch holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts by Arthur Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts by Arthur Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4916 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13799 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13799, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 409 minutes of reading across 984 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts 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 Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
