Chapter 2 of Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1 is here in full — 405 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 Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1 is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dined at the hotel or Mansion House to-day. Men were playing checkers in the parlor. The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor. A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward. A bottle of champagne was quaffed at the bar.
Chapter 2 of Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1 is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 white sparkling wine either produced in Champagne or resembling that produced there
From this reading “A bottle of champagne was quaffed at the bar.”
a checkerboard game for two players who each have 12 pieces; the object is to jump over and so capture the opponent's pieces
From this reading “Men were playing checkers in the parlor.”
widely known and esteemed
From this reading “The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.”
-ing form of “hire” — engage or hire for work
From this reading “A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward.”
a state in New England
From this reading “The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.”
place in proper rank
From this reading “The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.”
a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading “A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward.”
past form of “quaff” — to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading “A bottle of champagne was quaffed at the bar.”
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 The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dined at the hotel or Mansion House to-day.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading A bottle of champagne was quaffed at the bar.
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading A bottle of champagne was quaffed at the bar.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward.
a white sparkling wine either produced in Champagne or resembling that produced there
From this reading A bottle of champagne was quaffed at the bar.
a checkerboard game for two players who each have 12 pieces; the object is to jump over and so capture the opponent's pieces
From this reading Men were playing checkers in the parlor.
excessively fat
From this reading The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.
past form of “dine” — have supper; eat dinner
From this reading Dined at the hotel or Mansion House to-day.
give expression to
From this reading A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.
a boy or man
From this reading The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.
-ing form of “hire” — engage or hire for work
From this reading A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading Dined at the hotel or Mansion House to-day.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Dined at the hotel or Mansion House to-day.
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Men were playing checkers in the parlor.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward.
a state in New England
From this reading The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.
(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
From this reading Dined at the hotel or Mansion House to-day.
place in proper rank
From this reading The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.
the force of workers available
From this reading Men were playing checkers in the parlor.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Marshal of Maine, a corpulent, jolly fellow, famed for humor.
forward in time or order or degree
From this reading A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Dined at the hotel or Mansion House to-day.
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading Men were playing checkers in the parlor.
a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading Men were playing checkers in the parlor.
past form of “quaff” — to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading A bottle of champagne was quaffed at the bar.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading A passenger left by the stage, hiring an express onward.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dined at the hotel or Mansion House to-day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dined at the hotel or Mansion House to-day.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A bottle of champagne was quaffed at the bar.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Men were playing checkers in the parlor.
Chapter 2 of Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1 by Nathaniel Hawthorne holds 405 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 405 sentences of Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1 by Nathaniel Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 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 Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1 by Nathaniel Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2566 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8088 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8088, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 213 minutes of reading across 514 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1 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 Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
