Chapter 2 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PLACE OF TROUBLE.—THE CONVICT’S STORY. I passed by the house and within I heard a noise. I stopped and listened, and I heard screams. The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew. I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
Chapter 2 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
possessive form of “convict” — a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison
recognizable; marked
From this reading “I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.”
to come or go into
From this reading “I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “I stopped and listened, and I heard screams.”
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading “I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.”
plural of “scream” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading “I stopped and listened, and I heard screams.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew.”
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 was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.”
In this reading “The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew.”
move past
In this reading “I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.”
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 I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.
possessive form of “convict” — a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison
From this reading THE PLACE OF TROUBLE.—THE CONVICT’S STORY.
recognizable; marked
From this reading I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
to come or go into
From this reading I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading I stopped and listened, and I heard screams.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PLACE OF TROUBLE.—THE CONVICT’S STORY.
on one occasion
From this reading The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading THE PLACE OF TROUBLE.—THE CONVICT’S STORY.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
plural of “scream” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading I stopped and listened, and I heard screams.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading I stopped and listened, and I heard screams.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading THE PLACE OF TROUBLE.—THE CONVICT’S STORY.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PLACE OF TROUBLE.—THE CONVICT’S STORY.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
a source of difficulty
From this reading THE PLACE OF TROUBLE.—THE CONVICT’S STORY.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I was puzzled to know what to do, but finally decided to enter.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The voice sounded like that of a lady whom I once knew.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading I passed by the house and within I heard a noise.
Chapter 2 of Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White holds 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 184 sentences of Spirits Do Return, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3810 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57302 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57302, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 317 minutes of reading across 762 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Spirits Do Return section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Spirits Do Return 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 Spirits Do Return, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
