Chapter 2 of The Bellman Book of Fiction, 1906-1919 is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Bellman Book of Fiction, 1906-1919 is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.” “Guilty!” he said, with the same shy aloofness. “But you must see grandma’s last portrait first. Brookchase remains primitive enough for candles.” I held one under the picture above the mirror.
Chapter 2 of The Bellman Book of Fiction, 1906-1919 is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
indifference by personal withdrawal
From this reading ““Guilty!” he said, with the same shy aloofness.”
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading “Brookchase remains primitive enough for candles.””
plural of “collector” — a person who collects things
From this reading ““You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.””
possessive form of “grandma” — the mother of your father or mother
relating to the condition of immunity
From this reading ““You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.””
belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness
From this reading “Brookchase remains primitive enough for candles.””
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading ““Guilty!” he said, with the same shy aloofness.”
plural of “wile” — the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
From this reading ““You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.””
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.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading I held one under the picture above the mirror.
indifference by personal withdrawal
From this reading “Guilty!” he said, with the same shy aloofness.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Brookchase remains primitive enough for candles.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But you must see grandma’s last portrait first.
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading Brookchase remains primitive enough for candles.”
plural of “collector” — a person who collects things
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Brookchase remains primitive enough for candles.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “But you must see grandma’s last portrait first.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
possessive form of “grandma” — the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “But you must see grandma’s last portrait first.
responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act
From this reading “Guilty!” he said, with the same shy aloofness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Guilty!” he said, with the same shy aloofness.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading I held one under the picture above the mirror.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
relating to the condition of immunity
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
immediately past
From this reading “But you must see grandma’s last portrait first.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading I held one under the picture above the mirror.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “But you must see grandma’s last portrait first.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I held one under the picture above the mirror.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading I held one under the picture above the mirror.
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “But you must see grandma’s last portrait first.
belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness
From this reading Brookchase remains primitive enough for candles.”
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading Brookchase remains primitive enough for candles.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Guilty!” he said, with the same shy aloofness.
Identical; not different.
From this reading “Guilty!” he said, with the same shy aloofness.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “But you must see grandma’s last portrait first.
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading “Guilty!” he said, with the same shy aloofness.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading I held one under the picture above the mirror.
plural of “wile” — the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Guilty!” he said, with the same shy aloofness.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You are looking for the Fierienti,” I smiled back; “I am immune to the wiles of collectors.”
Chapter 2 of The Bellman Book of Fiction, 1906-1919 by William C. (William Crowell) [Editor] Edgar holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of The Bellman Book of Fiction, 1906-1919, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Bellman Book of Fiction, 1906-1919 by William C. (William Crowell) [Editor] Edgar exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 The Bellman Book of Fiction, 1906-1919 by William C. (William Crowell) [Editor] Edgar on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4725 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57322 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57322, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 393 minutes of reading across 945 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bellman Book of Fiction, 1906-1919 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Bellman Book of Fiction, 1906-1919 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 The Bellman Book of Fiction, 1906-1919, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
