Chapter 2 of The Chinese Coat is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Chinese Coat is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Richard nodded. “Let’s have a look at it.” The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard. “Pretty thing!” said Richard More. He pulled his mustache a little nervously.
Chapter 2 of The Chinese Coat is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading “The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.”
a flag that shows its nationality
From this reading “The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.”
table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
From this reading “The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.”
an article of clothing
From this reading “The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.”
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading “The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.”
past form of “glow” — emit a steady even light without flames
From this reading “The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.”
an unshaved growth of hair on the upper lip
From this reading “He pulled his mustache a little nervously.”
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading “He pulled his mustache a little nervously.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading ““Let’s have a look at it.””
In this reading “The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.”
In this reading “The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.”
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 “Let’s have a look at it.”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
(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 The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Let’s have a look at it.”
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
a flag that shows its nationality
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
an article of clothing
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
past form of “glow” — emit a steady even light without flames
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Let’s have a look at it.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He pulled his mustache a little nervously.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He pulled his mustache a little nervously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Let’s have a look at it.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Let’s have a look at it.”
held up in the air
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He pulled his mustache a little nervously.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Let’s have a look at it.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Pretty thing!” said Richard More.
an unshaved growth of hair on the upper lip
From this reading He pulled his mustache a little nervously.
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading He pulled his mustache a little nervously.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Richard nodded.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “Pretty thing!” said Richard More.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading He pulled his mustache a little nervously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Richard nodded.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Pretty thing!” said Richard More.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
with low volume
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
a special situation
From this reading “Pretty thing!” said Richard More.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The woman lifted the garment from the box and flung it wide on the counter before them; and all the color in it glowed softly and the colors that lay on the counter about it glared and seemed hard.
Chapter 2 of The Chinese Coat by Jennette Lee holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of The Chinese Coat, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Chinese Coat by Jennette Lee exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Chinese Coat by Jennette Lee on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2028 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52699 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52699, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 169 minutes of reading across 406 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Chinese Coat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Chinese Coat 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 Chinese Coat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
