Chapter 1 of Second String is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Second String is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version. Italics in original are marked with _underscores_. Small caps have been changed to ALL CAPS. Punctuation has been regularized. The following typographical corrections were made: p.
Chapter 1 of Second String is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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 “cap” — a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading “Small caps have been changed to ALL CAPS.”
the department of local government that is responsible for managing the treatment of convicted offenders
From this reading “The following typographical corrections were made: p.”
artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.”
plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading “Italics in original are marked with _underscores_.”
something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions
From this reading “Punctuation has been regularized.”
relating to or occurring or used in typography
From this reading “The following typographical corrections were made: p.”
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
an interpretation of a matter from a particular viewpoint
From this reading “The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.”
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.
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Small caps have been changed to ALL CAPS.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Italics in original are marked with _underscores_.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.
plural of “cap” — a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading Small caps have been changed to ALL CAPS.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading Small caps have been changed to ALL CAPS.
the department of local government that is responsible for managing the treatment of convicted offenders
From this reading The following typographical corrections were made: p.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading The following typographical corrections were made: p.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.
an ornamental facade
From this reading The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Small caps have been changed to ALL CAPS.
artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Italics in original are marked with _underscores_.
plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading Italics in original are marked with _underscores_.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The following typographical corrections were made: p.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading Italics in original are marked with _underscores_.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading Italics in original are marked with _underscores_.
a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms
From this reading The following typographical corrections were made: p.
something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions
From this reading Punctuation has been regularized.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Punctuation has been regularized.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Small caps have been changed to ALL CAPS.
the words of something written
From this reading The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Small caps have been changed to ALL CAPS.
relating to or occurring or used in typography
From this reading The following typographical corrections were made: p.
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
From this reading Italics in original are marked with _underscores_.
an interpretation of a matter from a particular viewpoint
From this reading The frontispiece illustration has been removed from text version.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The following typographical corrections were made: p.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Italics in original are marked with _underscores_.
Chapter 1 of Second String by Anthony Hope holds 302 sentences, grouped into 61 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 1 holds 302 sentences of Second String, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Second String by Anthony Hope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 302 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 1 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 Second String by Anthony Hope on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9221 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38796 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38796, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1845 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Second String section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Second String 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 Second String, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
