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See America First
See America First

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of See America First is here in full — 644 sentences across 129 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/128 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE MOUND BUILDERS Thou unrelenting Past!
Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.
Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.
Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.
With thee are silent fame, Forgotten arts, and wisdom.
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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.

See America First

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of See America First is here in full — 644 sentences across 129 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/128 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE MOUND BUILDERS Thou unrelenting Past!
/ðə maʊnd ˈbɪldərz ðaʊ ˌʌnriˈlentɪŋ pæst/
Line 2
Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.
Line 3
Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.
Line 4
Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.
Line 5
With thee are silent fame, Forgotten arts, and wisdom.
/wɪð ðiː ɑːr ˈsaɪlənt feɪm fərˈɡɑːt.n̩ ɑːrts ənd ˈwɪzdəm/

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.

barriers noun US /ˈbæriərz/

plural of “barrier” — a structure or object that impedes free movement

From this reading “Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.”

builders noun US /ˈbɪldərz/

plural of “builder” — a substance added to soaps or detergents to increase their cleansing action

From this reading “THE MOUND BUILDERS Thou unrelenting Past!”

domain noun US /doʊˈmeɪn/

a particular environment or walk of life

From this reading “Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.”

empires noun US /ˈempaɪərz/

plural of “empire” — the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised

From this reading “Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.”

fetters noun US /ˈfetərz/

plural of “fetter” — a shackle for the ankles or feet

From this reading “Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.”

Lurks verb US /lɜːrks/

third-person singular of “lurk” — lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner

From this reading “Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.”

unrelenting adjective US /ˌʌnriˈlentɪŋ/

not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty

From this reading “THE MOUND BUILDERS Thou unrelenting Past!”

womb noun US /wuːm/

a hollow muscular organ in the pelvic cavity of females; contains the developing fetus

From this reading “Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.

agesnounUS /ˈeɪdʒəz/

plural of “age” — how long something has existed

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

artsnounUS /ɑːrts/

studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills)

From this reading With thee are silent fame, Forgotten arts, and wisdom.

barriersnounUS /ˈbæriərz/

plural of “barrier” — a structure or object that impedes free movement

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

BUILDERSnounUS /ˈbɪldərz/

plural of “builder” — a substance added to soaps or detergents to increase their cleansing action

From this reading THE MOUND BUILDERS Thou unrelenting Past!

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

depthsnounUS /depθs/

(plural) the deepest and most remote part

From this reading Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.

domainnounUS /doʊˈmeɪn/

a particular environment or walk of life

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

empiresnounUS /ˈempaɪərz/

plural of “empire” — the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

enterverbUS /ˈentər/

to come or go into

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

famenounUS /feɪm/

the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed

From this reading With thee are silent fame, Forgotten arts, and wisdom.

FaradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

fastadverbUS /fæst/

quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

fettersnounUS /ˈfetərz/

plural of “fetter” — a shackle for the ankles or feet

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

ForgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/

Not remembered; lapsed from memory.

From this reading With thee are silent fame, Forgotten arts, and wisdom.

FulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.

gloomnounUS /ɡluːm/

a state of partial or total darkness

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

gloriousadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɔːriəs/

having or deserving or conferring glory

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

HoldverbUS /hoʊld/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

LieverbUS /laɪ/

be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

LurksverbUS /lɜːrks/

third-person singular of “lurk” — lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner

From this reading Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.

mightyadjectiveUS /ˈmaɪti/

having or showing great strength or force or intensity

From this reading Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.

MOUNDnounUS /maʊnd/

(baseball) the slight elevation on which the pitcher stands

From this reading THE MOUND BUILDERS Thou unrelenting Past!

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

OldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

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

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

PastnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading THE MOUND BUILDERS Thou unrelenting Past!

realmnounUS /relm/

a domain in which something is dominant

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

reignverbUS /reɪn/

have sovereign power

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

shadowsnounUS /ˈʃædoʊz/

plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

silentadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪlənt/

marked by absence of sound

From this reading With thee are silent fame, Forgotten arts, and wisdom.

sitverbUS /sɪt/

be seated

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

StrongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

sullennessnoun

a gloomy ill-tempered feeling

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

sureadjectiveUS /ʃʊr/

having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE MOUND BUILDERS Thou unrelenting Past!

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading With thee are silent fame, Forgotten arts, and wisdom.

ThoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading THE MOUND BUILDERS Thou unrelenting Past!

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

unbreathing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain, And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign.

unrelentingadjectiveUS /ˌʌnriˈlentɪŋ/

not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty

From this reading THE MOUND BUILDERS Thou unrelenting Past!

unrevered

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.

unutteredadjective

not made explicit

From this reading Full many a mighty name Lurks in thy depths, unuttered, unrevered.

wisdomnounUS /ˈwɪzdəm/

accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment

From this reading With thee are silent fame, Forgotten arts, and wisdom.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With thee are silent fame, Forgotten arts, and wisdom.

withdrawnadjectiveUS /wɪθˈdrɔːn/

withdrawn from society; seeking solitude

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

wombnounUS /wuːm/

a hollow muscular organ in the pelvic cavity of females; contains the developing fetus

From this reading Far in thy realm, withdrawn Old empires sit in sullenness and gloom; And glorious ages gone, Lie deep within the shadows of thy womb.

Chapter 2 of See America First by Orville O. Hiestand holds 644 sentences, grouped into 129 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 See America First contain?

Chapter 2 holds 644 sentences of See America First, unabridged, divided into 129 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of See America First by Orville O. Hiestand exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 644 sentences, grouped into 129 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 See America First?

Work through the 129 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 129 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.

Questions about reading See America First

Common questions about reading See America First by Orville O. Hiestand on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of See America First?

Yes. All 4435 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3547 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of See America First is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3547, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does See America First take to read?

About 369 minutes of reading across 887 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read See America First section by section

How to work through See America First section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 17 chapters of See America First to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in See America First

Words and structures a reader meets early in See America First, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Beginning
A word that appears in the opening chapter of See America First; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Journey
A word that appears in the opening chapter of See America First; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Disregarded
A word that appears in the opening chapter of See America First; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Horace
A word that appears in the opening chapter of See America First; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.