Chapter 2 of The British Barbarians is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The British Barbarians is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Oh, how very kind you are!” Bertram exclaimed, looking down at her gratefully. “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.” He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional. Frida coloured and looked embarrassed.
Chapter 2 of The British Barbarians 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.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.”
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “Frida coloured and looked embarrassed.”
an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
From this reading ““I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.””
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “Frida coloured and looked embarrassed.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Bertram exclaimed, looking down at her gratefully.”
with appreciation; in a grateful manner
From this reading “Bertram exclaimed, looking down at her gratefully.”
not conforming to accepted rules or standards
From this reading “He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.”
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading “He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.”
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 said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Frida coloured and looked embarrassed.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Oh, how very kind you are!”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Bertram exclaimed, looking down at her gratefully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bertram exclaimed, looking down at her gratefully.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading Frida coloured and looked embarrassed.
an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Bertram exclaimed, looking down at her gratefully.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading Frida coloured and looked embarrassed.
at any time
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Bertram exclaimed, looking down at her gratefully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Frida coloured and looked embarrassed.
with appreciation; in a grateful manner
From this reading Bertram exclaimed, looking down at her gratefully.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Bertram exclaimed, looking down at her gratefully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, how very kind you are!”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “Oh, how very kind you are!”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Frida coloured and looked embarrassed.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Bertram exclaimed, looking down at her gratefully.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, how very kind you are!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
not conforming to accepted rules or standards
From this reading He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.
precisely as stated
From this reading “Oh, how very kind you are!”
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He said it with a warmth which was certainly unconventional.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “I'm sure I don't know what I should ever have done in this crisis without you.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Oh, how very kind you are!”
Chapter 2 of The British Barbarians by Grant Allen holds 455 sentences, grouped into 91 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 British Barbarians, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The British Barbarians by Grant Allen exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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 British Barbarians by Grant Allen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1766 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4340 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4340, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 147 minutes of reading across 354 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The British Barbarians section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The British Barbarians 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 British Barbarians, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
