Chapter 2 of The Billow and the Rock is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Billow and the Rock is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child. But I am answerable for your life. You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food." "I defy you still," she cried. "Indeed!" said he, with a perplexed look.
Chapter 2 of The Billow and the Rock is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
capable of being answered
From this reading “But I am answerable for your life.”
grow worse
From this reading “You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."”
resist or confront with resistance
From this reading “"I defy you still," she cried.”
any federal law-enforcement officer
From this reading “You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."”
third-person singular of “grieve” — feel grief
From this reading “"It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.”
full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment
From this reading “"Indeed!" said he, with a perplexed look.”
interact in a certain way
From this reading “"It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.”
resistant to guidance or discipline
From this reading “"It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.”
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 "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading But I am answerable for your life.
capable of being answered
From this reading But I am answerable for your life.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I am answerable for your life.
a young person of either sex
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "I defy you still," she cried.
grow worse
From this reading You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."
resist or confront with resistance
From this reading "I defy you still," she cried.
any federal law-enforcement officer
From this reading You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But I am answerable for your life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
third-person singular of “grieve” — feel grief
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Indeed!" said he, with a perplexed look.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I am answerable for your life.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "Indeed!" said he, with a perplexed look.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading But I am answerable for your life.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Indeed!" said he, with a perplexed look.
a woman of refinement
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
absolutely essential
From this reading You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."
many times at short intervals
From this reading You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."
full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment
From this reading "Indeed!" said he, with a perplexed look.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I defy you still," she cried.
not in physical motion
From this reading "I defy you still," she cried.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
interact in a certain way
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."
resistant to guidance or discipline
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading You will be fed in this way as often as you decline necessary food."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Indeed!" said he, with a perplexed look.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It grieves me, madam," said Mr Forster, "to be compelled to treat you thus--like a wayward child.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But I am answerable for your life.
Chapter 2 of The Billow and the Rock by Harriet Martineau holds 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 455 sentences of The Billow and the Rock, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Billow and the Rock by Harriet Martineau exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Billow and the Rock by Harriet Martineau on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3115 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23115 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23115, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 259 minutes of reading across 623 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Billow and the Rock section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Billow and the Rock 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 Billow and the Rock, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
