Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Constance Fenimore Woolson • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

"It will be the truth, but not long.

When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

My father and two brothers had died and left me the homestead; otherwise I should have broken away and sought fortune farther westward, where the lands are better and life is more free.

But mother loved the house, the fields, and every crooked tree.

She was alone, and so I staid with her.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 1/81

Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

"It will be the truth, but not long.

/ɪt wɪl biː ðə truːθ bʌt nɑːt lɔːŋ/

Line 2

When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

Line 3

My father and two brothers had died and left me the homestead; otherwise I should have broken away and sought fortune farther westward, where the lands are better and life is more free.

/maɪ ˈfɑːðər ənd tuː ˈbrʌðərz hæd daɪd ənd left miː ðə ˈhoʊmsted ˈʌðərwaɪz aɪ ʃʊd hæv ˈbroʊkən əˈweɪ ənd sɔːt ˈfɔːrtʃən ˈfɑːrðər ˈwestwərd wer ðə lændz ɑːr ˈbetər ənd laɪf ɪz mɔːr friː/

Line 4

But mother loved the house, the fields, and every crooked tree.

/bʌt ˈmʌðər lʌvd ðə haʊs ðə fiːldz ənd ˈevəri ˈkrʊkəd triː/

Line 5

She was alone, and so I staid with her.

/ʃiː wɑːz əˈloʊn ənd soʊ aɪ steɪd wɪð hɜːr/

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.

brothers noun US /ˈbrʌðərz/

plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else

From this reading “My father and two brothers had died and left me the homestead; otherwise I should have broken away and sought fortune farther westward, where the lands are better and life is more free.”

crooked adjective US /ˈkrʊkəd/

having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned

From this reading “But mother loved the house, the fields, and every crooked tree.”

farm verb US /fɑːrm/

be a farmer; work as a farmer

From this reading “When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.”

fields noun US /fiːldz/

United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)

From this reading “But mother loved the house, the fields, and every crooked tree.”

homestead noun US /ˈhoʊmsted/

the home and adjacent grounds occupied by a family

lands noun US /lændz/

plural of “land” — the land on which real estate is located

staid adjective US /steɪd/

characterized by dignity and propriety

From this reading “She was alone, and so I staid with her.”

westward adverb US /ˈwestwərd/

toward the west

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.

twenty-eight years noun + noun

In this reading “When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.”

two brothers noun + noun counted as “two brother”

In this reading “My father and two brothers had died and left me the homestead; otherwise I should have broken away and sought fortune farther westward, where the lands are better and life is more free.”

All words in this reading · 64

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.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading She was alone, and so I staid with her.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading My father and two brothers had died and left me the homestead; otherwise I should have broken away and sought fortune farther westward, where the lands are better and life is more free.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "It will be the truth, but not long.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

brokeadjectiveUS /broʊk/

lacking funds

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

brothersnounUS /ˈbrʌðərz/

plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "It will be the truth, but not long.

crookedadjectiveUS /ˈkrʊkəd/

having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned

From this reading But mother loved the house, the fields, and every crooked tree.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

EnglandnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlənd/

a division of the United Kingdom

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading But mother loved the house, the fields, and every crooked tree.

farmverbUS /fɑːrm/

be a farmer; work as a farmer

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

fartheradjectiveUS /ˈfɑːrðər/

more distant in especially space or time

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

fieldsnounUS /fiːldz/

United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)

From this reading But mother loved the house, the fields, and every crooked tree.

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She was alone, and so I staid with her.

homesteadnounUS /ˈhoʊmsted/

the home and adjacent grounds occupied by a family

housenounUS /haʊs/

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

From this reading But mother loved the house, the fields, and every crooked tree.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "It will be the truth, but not long.

landsnounUS /lændz/

plural of “land” — the land on which real estate is located

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

livingnounUS /ˈlɪvɪŋ/

the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

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 "It will be the truth, but not long.

lovedadjectiveUS /lʌvd/

held dear

From this reading But mother loved the house, the fields, and every crooked tree.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

NewadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "It will be the truth, but not long.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

otherwiseadverbUS /ˈʌðərwaɪz/

in other respects or ways

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She was alone, and so I staid with her.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading She was alone, and so I staid with her.

soughtadjectiveUS /sɔːt/

that is looked for

staidadjectiveUS /steɪd/

characterized by dignity and propriety

From this reading She was alone, and so I staid with her.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "It will be the truth, but not long.

treenounUS /triː/

a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading But mother loved the house, the fields, and every crooked tree.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading "It will be the truth, but not long.

twenty-eightnoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty-seven and one

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

warnounUS /wɔːr/

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

westwardadverbUS /ˈwestwərd/

toward the west

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "It will be the truth, but not long.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading When the war broke out I was twenty-eight years old, living with my mother on our farm in New England.

Chapter 2 of Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches by Constance Fenimore Woolson holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches contain?

Chapter 2 holds 406 sentences of Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches by Constance Fenimore Woolson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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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Common questions about reading Rodman the Keeper: Southern Sketches by Constance Fenimore Woolson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 6070 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33813 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #33813, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 505 minutes of reading across 1214 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter II

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