Chapter 2 of Tales of My Native Town is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Tales of My Native Town is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me? Why do I see thy hand now A-tremble? Why should that be?” And Tilde, with great force of sentiment, replied: “At such a solemn moment, how Can you ask why of me?”
Chapter 2 of Tales of My Native Town is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading ““Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?”
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading ““Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?”
plural of “glance” — a quick look
From this reading ““Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?”
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading ““Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?”
expressed without speech
From this reading ““Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?”
tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion
From this reading “And Tilde, with great force of sentiment, replied:”
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading ““At such a solemn moment, how Can you ask why of me?””
a diacritical mark (~) placed over the letter n in Spanish to indicate a palatal nasal sound or over a vowel in Portuguese to indicate nasalization
From this reading ““Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?”
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 “And Tilde, with great force of sentiment, replied:”
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 “At such a solemn moment, how Can you ask why of me?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why do I see thy hand now A-tremble?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And Tilde, with great force of sentiment, replied:
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “At such a solemn moment, how Can you ask why of me?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “At such a solemn moment, how Can you ask why of me?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Why should that be?”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “At such a solemn moment, how Can you ask why of me?”
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Why do I see thy hand now A-tremble?
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading And Tilde, with great force of sentiment, replied:
plural of “glance” — a quick look
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading And Tilde, with great force of sentiment, replied:
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Why do I see thy hand now A-tremble?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “At such a solemn moment, how Can you ask why of me?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Why do I see thy hand now A-tremble?
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
a particular point in time
From this reading “At such a solemn moment, how Can you ask why of me?”
expressed without speech
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Why do I see thy hand now A-tremble?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And Tilde, with great force of sentiment, replied:
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading And Tilde, with great force of sentiment, replied:
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Why do I see thy hand now A-tremble?
tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion
From this reading And Tilde, with great force of sentiment, replied:
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Why should that be?”
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading “At such a solemn moment, how Can you ask why of me?”
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “At such a solemn moment, how Can you ask why of me?”
express in words
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Why should that be?”
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
a diacritical mark (~) placed over the letter n in Spanish to indicate a palatal nasal sound or over a vowel in Portuguese to indicate nasalization
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
in the company of; together with
From this reading And Tilde, with great force of sentiment, replied:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Tilde! thy lips are mute, Thy lowered glances dismay me, Tell me, why you delay me?
Chapter 2 of Tales of My Native Town by Gabriele D'Annunzio holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Tales of My Native Town, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Tales of My Native Town by Gabriele D'Annunzio exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Tales of My Native Town by Gabriele D'Annunzio on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3233 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55742 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55742, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 269 minutes of reading across 647 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales of My Native Town section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Tales of My Native Town 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 Tales of My Native Town, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
