Chapter 2 of That Girl in Black is here in full — 510 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of That Girl in Black is here in full — 510 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He smiled a superior smile. "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say. "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly. "I detest talking about travels." "Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.
Chapter 2 of That Girl in Black is here in full — 510 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/102 · 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.
distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading “"Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.”
plural of “capital” — assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading “"When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.”
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading “"Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.”
dislike intensely; feel antipathy or aversion towards
From this reading “"I detest talking about travels."”
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading “"Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.”
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading “"When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.”
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading “He smiled a superior smile.”
plural of “travel” — the act of going from one place to another
From this reading “"I detest talking about travels."”
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.
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 He smiled a superior smile.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I detest talking about travels."
distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading "Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly.
plural of “capital” — assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading "Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.
dislike intensely; feel antipathy or aversion towards
From this reading "I detest talking about travels."
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading "Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
apart from; not including
From this reading "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He smiled a superior smile.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I detest talking about travels."
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly.
in a languid and lethargic manner
From this reading "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
done under pressure
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly.
express in words
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He smiled a superior smile.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He smiled a superior smile.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly.
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading He smiled a superior smile.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "I detest talking about travels."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
a special situation
From this reading "That sort of thing is impossible, except for Bohemians," he said languidly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
plural of “travel” — the act of going from one place to another
From this reading "I detest talking about travels."
precisely as stated
From this reading "Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.
at the time that
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Do you really?" she said, with a very distinct accent of contempt.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "When you have rushed round the capitals of Europe you may give an opinion," his smile seemed to say.
Chapter 2 of That Girl in Black by Mrs. Molesworth holds 510 sentences, grouped into 102 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 510 sentences of That Girl in Black, unabridged, divided into 102 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of That Girl in Black by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 510 sentences, grouped into 102 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 102 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 102 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 That Girl in Black by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1498 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43134 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43134, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 124 minutes of reading across 300 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through That Girl in Black section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of That Girl in Black 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 That Girl in Black, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
