Chapter 2 of Rainbow Hill is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Rainbow Hill is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!" The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly. "Sure I heard," he protested. "Something or other is 'perfectly adorable.'" Rosemary laughed.
Chapter 2 of Rainbow Hill is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
lovable especially in a childlike or naive way
From this reading “"Something or other is 'perfectly adorable.'"”
in mentally perceptive and responsive way
From this reading “The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.”
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading “The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.”
lowest in rank or importance
From this reading “The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.”
widely cultivated for its fragrant grey-green leaves used in cooking and in perfumery
From this reading “Rosemary laughed.”
the person who plays that position on a football team
From this reading “The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.”
in a confused mass
From this reading “The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.”
United States actor and filmmaker (1915-1985)
From this reading “LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"”
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.
gear used in fishing
In this reading “The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.”
move outward
In this reading “The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.”
seek information from
In this reading “The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.”
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 LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
lovable especially in a childlike or naive way
From this reading "Something or other is 'perfectly adorable.'"
in mentally perceptive and responsive way
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
a youthful male person
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Sure I heard," he protested.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Something or other is 'perfectly adorable.'"
a small worthless amount
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Rosemary laughed.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
lowest in rank or importance
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Something or other is 'perfectly adorable.'"
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Something or other is 'perfectly adorable.'"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "Something or other is 'perfectly adorable.'"
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading "Sure I heard," he protested.
widely cultivated for its fragrant grey-green leaves used in cooking and in perfumery
From this reading Rosemary laughed.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Something or other is 'perfectly adorable.'"
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Sure I heard," he protested.
the person who plays that position on a football team
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
in a confused mass
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The boy on his knees before the tangled fishing tackle spread out on the lowest porch step, looked up alertly.
United States actor and filmmaker (1915-1985)
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LOOKING FORWARD "I don't believe you've heard a word I've been saying, Jack Welles!"
Chapter 2 of Rainbow Hill by Josephine Lawrence holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 103 sentences of Rainbow Hill, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Rainbow Hill by Josephine Lawrence exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Rainbow Hill by Josephine Lawrence on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3626 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26533 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26533, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 302 minutes of reading across 726 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rainbow Hill section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Rainbow Hill 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 Rainbow Hill, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
