Chapter 2 of Sebastopol is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Sebastopol is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down. Look! it bursts! And that large star there yonder--what do they call it? One would say it was a shell!” “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
Chapter 2 of Sebastopol is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading ““I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.”
plural of “burst” — the act of exploding or bursting
From this reading “Look! it bursts!”
a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991
From this reading ““I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.”
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading “One would say it was a shell!””
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading ““I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.”
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading ““Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.”
abounding with or resembling stars
From this reading ““I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.”
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading “And that large star there yonder--what do they call it?”
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 ““I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.”
belong to an earlier time
In this reading ““I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.”
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 “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And that large star there yonder--what do they call it?
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
plural of “burst” — the act of exploding or bursting
From this reading Look! it bursts!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading And that large star there yonder--what do they call it?
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading And that large star there yonder--what do they call it?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
and nothing more
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And that large star there yonder--what do they call it?
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look! it bursts!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One would say it was a shell!”
a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
express in words
From this reading One would say it was a shell!”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading One would say it was a shell!”
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
abounding with or resembling stars
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And that large star there yonder--what do they call it?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And that large star there yonder--what do they call it?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One would say it was a shell!”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And that large star there yonder--what do they call it?
at the time that
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I am so accustomed to them that when I go back to Russia a starry sky will seem to me to be sparkling with bomb-shells.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading One would say it was a shell!”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, it is true; I just took that for a star, but it is coming down.
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading And that large star there yonder--what do they call it?
Chapter 2 of Sebastopol by Leo, graf Tolstoy holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 434 sentences of Sebastopol, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Sebastopol by Leo, graf Tolstoy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Sebastopol by Leo, graf Tolstoy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2252 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61388 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61388, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 187 minutes of reading across 451 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sebastopol section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Sebastopol 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 Sebastopol, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
