Chapter 2 of Rookwood is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Rookwood is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold. I fear you are not well after your travel. Ha! lights.----Oh horrible! _Fer._ Let her have lights enough. _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
Chapter 2 of Rookwood is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
an old form of “does”
From this reading “_Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?”
provoking horror
From this reading “Ha! lights.----Oh horrible!”
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading “Ha! lights.----Oh horrible!”
engage in a rehearsal
From this reading “_Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?”
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading “_CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I fear you are not well after your travel.”
the art of sorcery
From this reading “_Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?”
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 _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
later than; following
From this reading I fear you are not well after your travel.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading _CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading _CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
an old form of “does”
From this reading _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading _Fer._ Let her have lights enough.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading I fear you are not well after your travel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Fer._ Let her have lights enough.
(astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing; the right ascension for an observer at a particular location and time of day
From this reading Ha! lights.----Oh horrible!
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading _CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.
an old form of “has”
From this reading _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _Fer._ Let her have lights enough.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading _Fer._ Let her have lights enough.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
provoking horror
From this reading Ha! lights.----Oh horrible!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I fear you are not well after your travel.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading _CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.
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 _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading _Fer._ Let her have lights enough.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading Ha! lights.----Oh horrible!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I fear you are not well after your travel.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Ha! lights.----Oh horrible!
engage in a rehearsal
From this reading _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading _CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I fear you are not well after your travel.
precisely as stated
From this reading _CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading I fear you are not well after your travel.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
the art of sorcery
From this reading _Duch._ What witchcraft doth he practise, that he hath left A dead hand here?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _CHAPTER II_ _THE SKELETON HAND_ _Duch._ You are very cold.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I fear you are not well after your travel.
Chapter 2 of Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth holds 410 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.
Chapter 2 holds 410 sentences of Rookwood, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 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.
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.
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 Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9403 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23564 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23564, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rookwood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Rookwood 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 Rookwood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
