Chapter 2 of Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight is here in full — 1034 sentences across 207 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight is here in full — 1034 sentences across 207 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BEGINNING OF THE FIGHT § 1. It was five years later, in the February of 1840. A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam. It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk. Joseph Backfield had been dead twelve hours.
Chapter 2 of Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight is here in full — 1034 sentences across 207 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/206 · 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.
the offensive football players who line up behind the linemen
From this reading “Joseph Backfield had been dead twelve hours.”
early spring flower common in British isles having fragrant yellow or sometimes purple flowers
From this reading “A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.”
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.”
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading “It was five years later, in the February of 1840.”
(Old Testment) a son of Jacob and forefather of one of the tribes of Israel
From this reading “It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.”
plural of “roof” — a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading “A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.”
past form of “sparkle” — reflect brightly
From this reading “A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.”
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 “Joseph Backfield had been dead twelve hours.”
In this reading “It was five years later, in the February of 1840.”
In this reading “It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE FIGHT § 1.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was five years later, in the February of 1840.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
the offensive football players who line up behind the linemen
From this reading Joseph Backfield had been dead twelve hours.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Joseph Backfield had been dead twelve hours.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE FIGHT § 1.
next to; at the side of
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
early spring flower common in British isles having fragrant yellow or sometimes purple flowers
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading It was five years later, in the February of 1840.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE FIGHT § 1.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading It was five years later, in the February of 1840.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Joseph Backfield had been dead twelve hours.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading Joseph Backfield had been dead twelve hours.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was five years later, in the February of 1840.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was five years later, in the February of 1840.
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading Joseph Backfield had been dead twelve hours.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading It was five years later, in the February of 1840.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE FIGHT § 1.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
(Old Testment) a son of Jacob and forefather of one of the tribes of Israel
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
plural of “roof” — a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
past form of “sparkle” — reflect brightly
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BEGINNING OF THE FIGHT § 1.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading Joseph Backfield had been dead twelve hours.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was five years later, in the February of 1840.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
in or at the place that
From this reading It slipped between the curtains of the room where Reuben watched beside his dead father, and made a golden pool in the dusk.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading A winter sunset sparkled like cowslip wine on the wet roofs of Odiam.
a late time of life
From this reading It was five years later, in the February of 1840.
Chapter 2 of Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight by Sheila Kaye-Smith holds 1034 sentences, grouped into 207 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 1034 sentences of Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight, unabridged, divided into 207 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight by Sheila Kaye-Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1034 sentences, grouped into 207 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 207 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 207 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 Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight by Sheila Kaye-Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8100 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56984 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56984, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1620 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight 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 Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
