Chapter 2 of Songs of Action is here in full — 354 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Songs of Action is here in full — 354 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock. ‘Fifty to one!’ ‘It’s done—and done! Look at her haunch and hock! Ill-groomed!
Chapter 2 of Songs of Action is here in full — 354 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “‘It’s done—and done!”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading “‘Fifty to one!’”
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading “And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.”
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading “And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.”
leave as a guarantee in return for money
From this reading “Look at her haunch and hock!”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Look at her haunch and hock!”
the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading “And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Look at her haunch and hock!
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading ‘It’s done—and done!
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading ‘Fifty to one!’
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
the hip and buttock and upper thigh in human beings
From this reading Look at her haunch and hock!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Look at her haunch and hock!
leave as a guarantee in return for money
From this reading Look at her haunch and hock!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ill-groomed!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘It’s done—and done!
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look at her haunch and hock!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ‘Fifty to one!’
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘Fifty to one!’
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading And the whisper grew and the whisper flew That she came of Isonomy stock.
Chapter 2 of Songs of Action by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 354 sentences, grouped into 71 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 354 sentences of Songs of Action, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Songs of Action by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 354 sentences, grouped into 71 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 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 71 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 Songs of Action by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 729 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4295 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4295, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 60 minutes of reading across 146 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Songs of Action section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Songs of Action 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 Songs of Action, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
