Chapter 2 of Pierre is here in full — 467 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Pierre is here in full — 467 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LOVE, DELIGHT, AND ALARM. I. On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows. Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts. The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.
Chapter 2 of Pierre is here in full — 467 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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.
plural of “colt” — a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading “Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.”
underpants worn by men
From this reading “The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.”
plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading “The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.”
past form of “outlast” — live longer than
From this reading “The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.”
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading “On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.”
toward the south
From this reading “On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.”
a conveyance that transports people or objects
From this reading “Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.”
marked by repeated turns and bends
From this reading “On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.”
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.
In this reading “On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.”
In this reading “The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.”
In this reading “On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.”
In this reading “On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.”
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 On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading LOVE, DELIGHT, AND ALARM.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LOVE, DELIGHT, AND ALARM.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
plural of “colt” — a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading LOVE, DELIGHT, AND ALARM.
underpants worn by men
From this reading The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading LOVE, DELIGHT, AND ALARM.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
past form of “outlast” — live longer than
From this reading The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.
large open car seating four with folding top
From this reading The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.
capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading The old phaeton had outlasted several generations of its drawers.
someone whose age is in the sixties
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
toward the south
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
a conveyance that transports people or objects
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Though the vehicle was a sexagenarian, the animals that drew it, were but six-year colts.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
marked by repeated turns and bends
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading On the previous evening, Pierre had arranged with Lucy the plan of a long winding ride, among the hills which stretched around to the southward from the wide plains of Saddle-Meadows.
Chapter 2 of Pierre by Herman Melville holds 467 sentences, grouped into 94 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 467 sentences of Pierre, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Pierre by Herman Melville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 467 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 Pierre by Herman Melville on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6047 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34970 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34970, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 503 minutes of reading across 1210 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pierre section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Pierre 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 Pierre, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
