Chapter 2 of The Burning Spear is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Burning Spear is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What's your line? Anything particular, or just general patriotism? I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.” “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it. I should form myself on them; and if enthusiasm——” “Quite!” said the Minister.
Chapter 2 of The Burning Spear is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
a feeling of excitement
From this reading “I should form myself on them; and if enthusiasm——” “Quite!” said the Minister.”
of a pale purple color
From this reading ““I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.”
plural of “orator” — a person who delivers a speech or oration
From this reading ““I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.”
love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it
From this reading “Anything particular, or just general patriotism?”
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading “I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.””
push for something
From this reading “I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.””
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading ““I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.”
plural of “writer” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading ““I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.”
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.
(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 “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
any thing at all
From this reading Anything particular, or just general patriotism?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
a feeling of excitement
From this reading I should form myself on them; and if enthusiasm——” “Quite!” said the Minister.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading I should form myself on them; and if enthusiasm——” “Quite!” said the Minister.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading Anything particular, or just general patriotism?
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I should form myself on them; and if enthusiasm——” “Quite!” said the Minister.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
and nothing more
From this reading Anything particular, or just general patriotism?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
of a pale purple color
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading “What's your line?
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading I should form myself on them; and if enthusiasm——” “Quite!” said the Minister.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I should form myself on them; and if enthusiasm——” “Quite!” said the Minister.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Anything particular, or just general patriotism?
plural of “orator” — a person who delivers a speech or oration
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading Anything particular, or just general patriotism?
love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it
From this reading Anything particular, or just general patriotism?
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I should form myself on them; and if enthusiasm——” “Quite!” said the Minister.
push for something
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I should form myself on them; and if enthusiasm——” “Quite!” said the Minister.
term of address for a man
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I should form myself on them; and if enthusiasm——” “Quite!” said the Minister.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What's your line?
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
plural of “writer” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “I have studied all the great orators of the war, sir,” said Mr. Lavender, “and am familiar with all the great writers on, it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I recommend that; but you'll have to put some punch into it, you know.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What's your line?
Chapter 2 of The Burning Spear by John Galsworthy holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 186 sentences of The Burning Spear, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Burning Spear by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Burning Spear by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2838 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2905 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2905, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 236 minutes of reading across 568 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Burning Spear section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Burning Spear 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 Burning Spear, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
