Chapter 2 of The Bostonians, Vol. II (of II) is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Bostonians, Vol. II (of II) is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other. "I didn't know you had joined." "Oh, I haven't; nothing would induce me." "That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility." "Oh, the--the fun!" exclaimed the second lady.
Chapter 2 of The Bostonians, Vol. II (of II) is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “"Oh, the--the fun!" exclaimed the second lady.”
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading “"That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."”
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading “"That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."”
cause to arise
From this reading “"Oh, I haven't; nothing would induce me."”
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading “"I didn't know you had joined."”
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading “"Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.”
one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading “"Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.”
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading “"That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."”
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 "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't know you had joined."
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Oh, the--the fun!" exclaimed the second lady.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading "That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading "That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I didn't know you had joined."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I haven't; nothing would induce me."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I didn't know you had joined."
cause to arise
From this reading "Oh, I haven't; nothing would induce me."
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading "I didn't know you had joined."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I didn't know you had joined."
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "Oh, the--the fun!" exclaimed the second lady.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh, I haven't; nothing would induce me."
one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
not one, and not any
From this reading "That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Oh, I haven't; nothing would induce me."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I haven't; nothing would induce me."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading "That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "Oh, the--the fun!" exclaimed the second lady.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's not fair; you have all the fun and none of the responsibility."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Oh, I haven't; nothing would induce me."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you a member?" one of the ladies said to the other.
Chapter 2 of The Bostonians, Vol. II (of II) by Henry James holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 440 sentences of The Bostonians, Vol. II (of II), unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Bostonians, Vol. II (of II) by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Bostonians, Vol. II (of II) by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3544 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19718 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19718, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 295 minutes of reading across 709 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bostonians, Vol. II (of II) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Bostonians, Vol. II (of II) 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 Bostonians, Vol. II (of II), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
